UK Satellite Smartphone Services Could Get Green Light This Year

Britain's telecoms regulator could authorize satellite-to-smartphone services in the UK before the end of this year.

The Office of Communications, otherwise known as Ofcom, kicked off a consultation this week, starting with proposals on how it should license so-called direct-to-device satellite services to cover the UK, without causing any radio interference to existing spectrum users in the nation or in nearby countries.

If given the go-ahead, the services will allow folks to stay connected in areas beyond the reach of cellphone masts, using the smartphone in their pocket rather than a traditional dedicated satellite phone, and also provide a backup in case of a network outage.

As has already been pioneered in the US, Ofcom is proposing that services are restricted to satellite operators working with an existing mobile network operator (MNO) that is licensed to use the relevant frequencies across the entire nation.

The way this works is that the satellite operator shares the mobile network's frequencies in areas not covered by its cellphone mast signal, which means that subscribers to that network can use the same standard cellphone and SIM to access a space-borne connection if their normal service is not available.

Ofcom is consulting on three possible approaches to enable this. The first is a licence exemption; the second is through a variation to the MNO's existing base station license accompanied by a license exemption; the third option would be a new licensing regime.

The agency says it has a preference for the second option, with the condition that any authorization would require the operator(s) to carefully manage the service so as not cause interference.

iPhone users in the UK have been able to use Apple's satellite-powered Emergency SOS service for several years, allowing them to message for help even if there is no phone signal. But the direct-to-device services that Ofcom is looking to permit would work with pretty much any modern smartphone, providing your mobile network decides to offer this capability.

The regulator notes the consumer experience may vary by operator and evolve over time, with initial services likely to be limited to SMS text messages, with voice and data support coming at a later date.

US telco regulator the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has already implemented a national authorization framework for direct-to-device services in mobile bands where a terrestrial operator partner holds all licenses on the relevant channel throughout a defined geographical area.

Satellite biz AST SpaceMobile has been approved by the FCC to test direct-to-device services in the US, which also granted conditional approval to Starlink and T-Mobile to begin selling a commercial service to T-Mobile subscribers.

If Ofcom gives the go-ahead for satellite phones in the UK, a likely first candidate to offer it here is Vodafone. Working with AST SpaceMobile, the biz has already said it intends to provide the first commercial direct-to-device service in Europe later in 2025, and it also carried out a test mobile video call via satellite between two sites in Britain earlier this year.

In response to a query from The Register about this, Vodafone said: "We welcome Ofcom's proposals to licence direct-to-device usage with the cooperation of incumbent mobile network operators and are considering the technical detail."

"We're proud to have made the first ever video call over satellite using a smartphone from an area of no terrestrial coverage and look forward to making the technology more widely available in the UK."

The regulator proposes the authorization of direct-to-device in a subset of existing mobile frequencies below 3 GHz, ranging from the 700 MHz to the 2.6 GHz bands. This would be limited in geographic scope to the UK mainland and territorial seas, and would not enable operation on the Channel Islands or Isle of Man at this stage, it says.

To try and prevent any interference between satellite transmissions and terrestrial mobile services, Ofcom proposes power limits for each of the mobile bands, and also notes that its existing licence conditions require authorized parties to cease transmitting if they are causing interference.

These will be interim measures that are likely to be amended as part of a review of the framework, following the ITU's World Radiocommunication Conference scheduled for 2027 (WRC-27), at which point Ofcom expects to have more evidence about the risk of interference from satellite transmissions.

CCS Insight Research Analyst Joe Gardiner said the announcement brings satellite services closer to smartphone users across the UK.

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• T-Mobile goes live with beta of satellite phone service for the US
• Vodafone aims to offer satellite-to-phone connectivity starting later this year

"If this technology is approved, it will mean a broad range of people will be able to access satellite technology and won't be confined to specialized satellite handsets or the most premium smartphone models like the Galaxy S25," he said.

"Ofcom appears to be keen to keep up-to-date on a technology that has the potential to help bridge the digital divide."

The agency is inviting feedback on this consultation by 5pm UK time on 20 May 2025, with a response form available from Ofcom's website. ®