多国监管机构研讨D2D卫星与地面5G频谱边界

Name a spectrum band and there's a satellite operator interested in it, commented Elizabeth Quintana, principal, space authorisation – policy at Ofcom. "We definitely live in interesting times." Quintana was speaking during a panel session at the recent NTN Integration Forum hosted by RCRTech, when she and other policy experts outlined their approaches to spectrum optimization amid growing telco and satco interest in non-terrestrial networks (NTN) and direct-to-device (D2D) services. Her comment highlights that there is no such thing as a "quiet" band anymore. If a frequency band offers suitable propagation or capacity, someone in the satellite sector is already outlining a business plan for it. For UK regulators, that means staying open to experimentation while keeping an eye on long-term competition. Also on the panel was Arpan Sura, a senior counsel to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Brendan Carr and chief AI officer. Other panelists included Julia Criado, head of department of spectrum planning and management at the Ministry for Digital Transformation and of Civil Service in Spain, and Audrey Allison, senior policy analyst, Center for Space and Policy Strategy at The Aerospace Corporation. Related:Satellite D2D dealmaking: SpaceX, Amazon, Rocket Lab and the spectrum they're after The message from the panel was clear: D2D is forcing regulators to rethink their approaches to which entities can use which bands, from where and under what rules. It is blurring the line between traditional mobile satellite service (MSS) bands and terrestrial mobile (IMT) bands, creating new regulatory challenges around the coexistence of services, cross‑border coordination and licensing models for shared or repurposed spectrum. Diff'rent strokes The panel also highlighted differences between the various national and regional strategies. For instance, Spain is erring on the cautious side for now. Criado said controlled trials are being carried out in particular with Starlink on the 2.6GHz terrestrial mobile band, “and these trials allow us to better understand how the service works.” The UK is taking a broadly pragmatic approach. Quintana observed that the country has been "really keen to enable non‑terrestrial networks to expand both our broadband and mobile coverage. We are very fortunate that we have a very good terrestrial laydown… but we were one of the first countries to enable [NGSO FSS], and more recently we have enabled direct‑to‑device satellite ser…