Ofcom Q/V Band Satellite Gateways: UK Spectrum

Ofcom Expands Q/V Band Satellite Gateways Access Across the UK

The UK's Office of Communications (Ofcom) has moved to open substantial new spectrum for satellite ground infrastructure. On 19 March 2026, the regulator published a combined Statement and Further Consultation that authorises up to 10 GHz of Q/V band spectrum for satellite gateways across the majority of the UK landmass, while opening a separate consultation on access in the country's busiest urban zones. On 7 July 2026, Ofcom published the stakeholder responses to that further consultation, and the process now sits at "Pending Statement" while the regulator finalises its position on high density areas.

For manufacturers and operators tracking global market access, the key point is precise: this is a spectrum licensing development for gateway earth stations, not a new device type-approval regime. It expands where and how Q/V band gateway equipment can be deployed and licensed in the UK it does not, in itself, introduce a new conformity assessment step for the equipment.

What the Q/V Band Satellite Gateways Decision Covers

Ofcom's decision opens access to up to 10 GHz of Q/V band spectrum for satellite gateways in predominantly rural "low density" areas, which cover roughly 94% of the UK landmass. Licences are assessed on a first come, first served basis, following the regulator's usual application processes for an NGSO gateway licence or a GSO Permanent Earth Station licence.

The authorised frequencies are:

• GSO (geostationary): uplink 47.2–50.2 GHz and 50.4–52.4 GHz; downlink 37.5–42.5 GHz

• NGSO (non-geostationary): uplink 47.2–50.2 GHz and 50.4–51.4 GHz; downlink 37.5–42.5 GHz

  
  

Access to the 39.5–40.5 GHz and 50.4–51.4 GHz ranges is subject to additional coordination with the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Alongside this decision, Ofcom is consulting on proposals to authorise up to 8 GHz of spectrum for gateways in the remaining 6% of the UK landmass the urban "high density" areas. Those proposals include a requirement that gateways in high density areas operate on a "non interference, non protection" basis relative to adjacent-channel mobile users, plus options for coordinating with fixed links and for the minimum antenna elevation angle permitted in these areas. That further consultation closed at 5pm on 28 May 2026, and the responses published on 7 July 2026 come from Amazon, BT, SpaceX, Viasat and VodafoneThree. A final statement on high density access remains pending.

What This Means for Manufacturers

The practical effect is a market access opening for Q/V band gateway equipment in the UK, not a new certification hurdle.

• The authorisation route is station/site licensing, not product type approval. Gateway earth stations are brought into use through NGSO gateway licences and GSO Permanent Earth Station licences issued by Ofcom. Manufacturers supplying antennas, RF front ends and transceivers for Q/V band gateways benefit from expanded demand, but the operative gate is the operator's spectrum licence for a specific site.

• Existing UK radio equipment conformity obligations are unchanged by this measure. Where in scope, gateway equipment placed on the UK market continues to follow the standard UK conformity framework (UKCA marking under the applicable UK radio equipment rules). Ofcom's spectrum decision does not add a new type approval step for the hardware.

• Design targets are now clearer. With defined uplink/downlink ranges and explicit coexistence conditions (MoD coordination in named sub bands; "non-interference, non-protection" in future high density areas), equipment intended for the UK gateway market can be specified against known operating constraints.

• High density urban deployment is still open. Operators willing to accept interference risk from adjacent mobile services may gain urban gateway options once Ofcom issues its final statement a factor for roadmap planning, not yet a firm rule.

  
  

Certification Impact Summary

Dimension	Impact of this Ofcom decision
Instrument type	Spectrum access / licensing decision (plus a further consultation) an allocation and authorisation measure
New device type approval created?	No. This does not introduce a new equipment type-approval or conformity assessment requirement.
Primary authorisation pathway	NGSO gateway licence; GSO Permanent Earth Station licence (site/station licensing)
Who is directly affected	Satellite gateway operators seeking UK spectrum; equipment vendors indirectly, via expanded demand
Equipment conformity route	Unchanged standard UK radio equipment conformity where applicable
Geographic scope	Low-density areas (≈94% of UK landmass) decided; high-density areas (≈6%) pending
Coexistence conditions	MoD coordination in 39.5–40.5 GHz and 50.4–51.4 GHz; "non interference, non protection" proposed for high density areas
Consultation status	Further consultation closed 28 May 2026; responses published 7 July 2026; statement pending

Timeline and Required Actions

Date	Event	Required action
22 Jul 2025	Ofcom consultation on making Q/V band available for gateways published	(Historic) input window closed
11 Nov 2025	First round consultation responses published	Review positions of Amazon Kuiper, Viasat, JRC and others for coexistence context
19 Mar 2026	Statement + Further Consultation published; up to 10 GHz opened in low-density areas	Operators: assess site eligibility and prepare licence applications (first come, first served)
28 May 2026	Further consultation on high-density areas closed	(Closed) no further submissions accepted
7 Jul 2026	Responses to further consultation published (Amazon, BT, SpaceX, Viasat, VodafoneThree)	Monitor for the final high-density statement; review published responses for likely conditions
Pending	Final statement on high density (urban) gateway access	Factor high density access into UK deployment roadmaps once conditions are confirmed

Immediate actions for operators and vendors

1. Confirm site classification (low density vs high density) before assuming access only low density access is currently decided.

2. Prepare gateway licence applications for eligible low density sites, noting the first come, first served basis and MoD coordination sub bands.

3. Verify equipment conformity status for UK market placement through the standard UK radio equipment route; do not assume this decision adds or removes any conformity step.

4. Track the pending high density statement for firm conditions before committing urban gateway plans.