Brazil Opens 10-Day Review of Starlink Bid for More Gateway Spectrum

Image: SpaceX

Brazil’s telecom regulator is weighing another Starlink spectrum request, weeks after approving Starlink Mobile’s full 2 GHz access.

Anatel opened a 10-day public consultation on Wednesday, November 4, through a notice in Brazil’s official gazette.

The request comes from Starlink Brazil Holding, the local representative of SpaceX. It asks Anatel to add six frequency ranges between 92 GHz and 114.25 GHz to Starlink’s right to operate in Brazil, all for uplinks from ground stations to satellites.

Those ranges are 92 to 94 GHz, 94.1 to 95 GHz, 95 to 100 GHz, 102 to 105 GHz, 105 to 109.5 GHz and 111.8 to 114.25 GHz. According to Valor Econômico, the frequencies would link Starlink satellites with gateway stations on the ground in Brazil.

Anatel is also asking for comments on whether any limits or conditions should apply to the request, in order to promote broad and fair competition and access to the market for different players. The agency describes Starlink as a large non-geostationary system with more than a thousand satellites.

Comments can be filed through the Participa Anatel portal. The agency has not yet approved the new bands.

Valor Econômico reports that Anatel’s technical staff found the request consistent with Brazil’s current frequency allocations and saw no need for extra conditions at this stage. The staff still wanted to hear from the industry and the public before a decision.

Starlink has expanded its footprint in Brazil since SpaceX got its license to operate there in 2022. Last month, Starlink Mobile went live across Brazil with Vivo. The latest request covers the gateway side of the network that carries Starlink residential service to customers.

Gateways are the ground stations that connect Starlink internet satellites to the wider web.

Should regulators attach competition conditions to Starlink’s spectrum requests in Brazil?