Ofcom has granted an earth station network licence to Amazon’s Kuiper satellite broadband service.
This decision means Kuiper will be authorised to provide satellite connectivity services such as high speed, low latency broadband to customers in the UK.
Kuiper is permitted to operate in Ka band frequencies between 27.5-27.9405 GHz, 28.4545-28.9485 GHz, and 29.5-30 GHz.
Separate to its Kuiper decision, Ofcom has also announced it is releasing further radio spectrum in the 27.5-30 GHz (28 GHz) and 32 GHz bands.
Blocks of spectrum in these bands recently became available and are particularly suitable for ‘fixed links’ and satellite connectivity services.
In relation to satellite services, 28 GHz in particular can be used for both satellite gateways, which are hubs that connect the satellite network to the internet, private networks or the cloud, and satellite terminals such as a satellite dish.
Ofcom says providing more spectrum for these purposes will enable service providers to increase their capacity, serve more customers, while also supporting innovation and growth.
Nina Percival, Director of Spectrum Management and Authorisation, said: “In line with our mission to support innovation, investment and growth, today’s decisions provide further opportunity for new services delivering better connectivity for people and businesses in the UK – and particularly to those in harder to reach rural communities.”