What the four operators announced
Europe's four largest telecom groups signed a letter of intent to study a joint bid in the upcoming allocation of spectrum for mobile satellite services (MSS) in Europe. Telefónica and Vodafone confirmed it in their newsrooms on October 19, 2026. It is a first, exploratory step: it is not a license or a signed contract.
The goal is to offer direct-to-device (D2D, direct-to-device) services: an ordinary phone, with no special antenna, connects to a satellite when there is no tower coverage. According to the announcement, the plan aims to:
- Provide coverage in rural and remote areas the signal doesn't reach today.
- Make public networks more resilient to outages and disasters.
- Protect critical communications.
- Support the development of a European satellite constellation.
How it would work: operators on the ground, a partner in space
The operators will not build or launch satellites. According to the announcement, they would build the ground network infrastructure in Europe along with the coordination and monitoring functions, while a satellite operator, not yet chosen, would provide the constellation.
One notable point is the access model: they promise that any mobile operator in Europe could offer the satellite service to its customers on open, non-discriminatory terms. In other words, it would work as a wholesale service. The letter also doesn't replace the deals each company already has: according to Light Reading, Deutsche Telekom plans to offer Starlink's cellular service in 2028, Virgin Media O2 (Telefónica's UK business) already provides satellite service with Starlink, and Orange and Vodafone work with AST SpaceMobile.
Ookla analyst Luke Kehoe, quoted by Light Reading, noted that the operators want to avoid becoming mere resellers of someone else's satellite coverage, and that owning spectrum gives them more negotiating power.
The background: the 2 GHz band and European sovereignty
The spectrum at stake is mainly the 2 GHz band for mobile satellite services, harmonized in Europe since 2008. It is currently held by Viasat and EchoStar, and their authorizations expire in May 2027. Light Reading adds that EchoStar is transferring its rights to SpaceX following a spectrum sale.
On May 27, 2026, the European Commission proposed a new regulation to assign that band through a single EU-wide process. According to an analysis by the law firm Greenberg Traurig, the proposal splits the band into three equal parts:
- One third for government use (security, defense and critical communications), assigned to a European operator and integrated with IRIS², the EU's satellite program.
- One commercial third reserved for new European operators.
- One commercial third open to European and non-European companies, with caps per operator.
The proposal would extend the current licenses by two years and assign the new rights around 2029. The issue has created tension with the United States: SpaceX opposed the reservation, and Light Reading reports that FCC Chairman Brendan Carr warned he would apply similar limits to European satellite operators.
What it means for businesses in Colombia and Latin America
The news is European, but it shows where the industry is heading. Here are the practical lessons for a manager in the region:
- Satellite complements, it doesn't replace. The world's largest operators are betting on satellite to fill the gaps in the terrestrial network, not to substitute it. Towers and fiber remain the foundation.
- Timelines are long. In Europe the talk is of licenses around 2029 and satellite cellular services from 2028. Early uses are usually text messages and basic data, not high-volume call center traffic.
- Business continuity is planned now. If your company operates in rural areas, transport or agriculture, it pays to combine several paths: cloud telephony, numbers that don't depend on a single device, and backup through another channel such as chat or SMS.
- Operators are joining forces. The open-access model confirms that alliances between operators, like those between mobile virtual network operators and their host networks, are an efficient way to bring services to more customers.
At 19 80 TIC Cloud, as a mobile virtual network operator partnered with Suma Móvil, we help companies keep their customer service available with cloud PBX and call center and mobile numbers that handle many calls at once.
