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The decision will give Starlink’s satellites a much-needed boost in backhaul capacity
This week, Ofcom has announced it has granted permission for SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation to use the E band (71–76GHz and 81–86GHz) spectrum to increase the backhaul capacity.
The spectrum will be used to transmit data to and from three of the company’s ground stations in Morn Hill (Hampshire), Wherstead (Suffolk), and Woodwalton (Cambridgeshire).
Starlink wrote to Ofcom in December 2024 to request the spectrum, saying it was facing “capacity constraints in the UK due to increased demand”.
It argued that accessing the spectrum would provide improved latency and service quality, allowing it to compete in the market more effectively, as well as providing increased redundancy for existing fibre broadband networks. Starlink also said that it would potentially reduce costs for customers, by allowing it to serve customers more effectively without needing to build more expensive gateways.
Starlink had 87,000 UK customers, comprising both residential and enterprise users, at the end of 2024.
The E band spectrum is currently used in the UK for fixed services (i.e., wireless links typically used for backhaul), but this is up for debate. The licences currently expire at the end of 2028, with Ofcom indicating that temporary licences could be made permanent after this date, depending on the results of the relevant consultation.
For now, however, Ofcom is keen to stress that the future of this spectrum is far from certain.
“Granting these temporary authorisations does not prejudge the outcome of our future consultation process on proposals for longer-term access to E band for satellite gateways and does not provide any assurance that Starlink will be able to access this spectrum at these sites, or on these terms, beyond the end date of the temporary licences,” Ofcom said in a statement.
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