notablepartnership2026-10-19

Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica, Vodafone sign satellite spectrum LOI

Deutsche Telekom · Orange · Telefónica · Vodafone

Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone sign a letter of intent to jointly bid for European 2 GHz satellite spectrum.

// sources · 4 attached

what happened

Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone signed a letter of intent on Oct. 19 to explore a joint bid for Europe's 2 GHz mobile satellite services (MSS) spectrum, per Space Intel Report, Telecompaper and the operators' own joint statement. A satellite partner has not yet been selected, and the four companies do not plan to invest directly in a satellite constellation; instead they would build ground network infrastructure and coordination systems in Europe. The move responds to the European Commission's proposal to reserve part of the 2 GHz MSS band, whose current Viasat and EchoStar licenses expire in 2027, for a European-controlled operator; the group said the initiative supports the Commission's goal of strengthening Europe's sovereignty, security and resilience in critical connectivity infrastructure.

why it matters

A joint bid by four of Europe's largest carriers would stand up a European-controlled satellite capacity supplier for the same spectrum the European Commission has proposed setting aside, at the same moment the US ambassador to the EU is threatening retaliation over that carve-out. Several of the four operators already have separate direct-to-device deals with SpaceX's Starlink Mobile and AST SpaceMobile, which the group said this initiative does not replace; the letter of intent signals the operators also want satellite capacity they jointly control rather than depend solely on US suppliers for D2D and backhaul coverage.