SpaceX has slammed the European Union's plan to restrict its satellite spectrum use rights, saying the move may lead to a deterioration in the quality of satellite communications in Ukraine. Starlink services have been a critical support for Ukraine’s communications since Russia’s full-scale invasion. The media obtained a document submitted by SpaceX to EU officials, which stated: "This proposal is very likely to have two consequences. Either the direct mobile phone satellite service cannot be launched in Europe, or the new satellite network in Europe will cause global signal interference, and services such as Ukrainian emergency communications will also be affected."
Currently, the 2GHz frequency band is mainly used by two American companies, Viasat and EchoStar.
SpaceX said the EU plan unfairly prioritizes company registration location over economic, technical and regulatory realities.
When the proposal was announced, EU Digital Affairs Commissioner Henna Verkunen defended the local priority policy, saying that the EU intended to "enhance the strength of the local satellite industry" while other frequency bands of the spectrum remained open to overseas companies.
Relevant people involved in the negotiation of the plan revealed that some EU officials deliberately want to restrict the Starlink platform owned by Elon Musk.
Before the EU introduced this proposal, the United States had issued a warning in advance.
In March this year, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) warned that if the EU favors European satellite operators in spectrum allocation and treats U.S. companies such as Starlink differently, the United States will take countermeasures.
Brendan Carr, chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, told the media at the time: "We are worried about some of the remarks about European satellite sovereignty. If Europe insists on pursuing this plan, then we will have to take reciprocal countermeasures."
The European Commission's proposal still needs to be finalized in consultation with each EU member state and the European Parliament.
A person close to SpaceX said that many companies and several European governments have expressed concerns about this plan, so the company still hopes to promote policy adjustments.