INCA has responded to Ofcom’s consultation on granting temporary spectrum licences to Starlink’s LEO satellite broadband service, supporting temporary licences in principle but insisting that satellite broadband must be treated as a technology of last resort.
Our submission argues that LEO satellite services should only be considered for areas where terrestrial fibre is genuinely unviable, and must not be allowed to count towards official broadband coverage statistics or receive public subsidies that could otherwise support fibre deployment.
INCA also raises national security concerns about growing reliance on a single US-owned satellite constellation, and calls for binding sunset clauses on any temporary spectrum licences alongside regulatory parity so that satellite providers meet the same consumer protection obligations as terrestrial operators.
The full response is available on our Resources page.