Rivada Space gets Ofcom access licence
March 4, 2024
By Chris Forrester
UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has granted Munich-based Rivada Space Networks a licence for a non-geostationary earth station network. The licence covers Rivada’s planned Low Earth orbiting satellite network, which Rivada calls its ‘Outer Net’ system.
Ofcom said: “Rivada is proposing to provide government communications, maritime and aviation connectivity, enterprise networking, and backhaul services for telecommunications networks. Rivada plans to launch an initial constellation of satellites by July 2026, with the intention of launching more satellites by July 2028.”
Rivada’s constellation uses Ka band for both its terminals and gateways. It has applied to use the frequencies [27.5 – 27.8185 GHz, 28.4545 – 28.8265 GHz and 29.5 – 30 GHz].
“The earth station network licence allows Rivada to deploy user terminals in the UK, which are the dishes and antennas used by customers to connect to its satellite network. These can be on a building, in the air or at sea. In October, we consulted on Rivada’s licence application. Having assessed responses, we believe that Rivada’s system is capable of coexisting with other services. We also believe that granting the licence will not create a material risk to competition, and that Rivada’s planned services would benefit UK consumers and businesses,” added the Ofcom statement.
At the time of writing, four satellite operators hold NGSO network licences. These licences permit use in both the Ku band (14.0 – 14.5 GHz) and Ka band (27.5 – 27.8185 GHz, 28.4545 – 28.8265 GHz and 29.4625 – 30 GHz).
The four other operators also licensed to use the same frequencies are:
· Mangata Edge
· Telesat LEO (of Canada)
· Starlink
· OneWeb’s Network Access