The Radio Regulations Committee of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has recently officially rejected the regulatory extension application of satellite operator Globalstar. Globalstar previously applied for administrative modifications to its launch and deployment obligations for the non geostationary orbit satellite constellation (NGSO) licensed by France, which is designated as HIBLEO-X and HIBLEO-4.
Globalstar is currently advancing its $11.6 billion acquisition and integration with Amazon, and has applied to the International Telecommunication Union to relax its task timeline requirements citing historical force majeure. The company stated that the April 2009 earthquake in L'Aquila, Italy damaged the electronic components factory of Thales Alenia Space, where some payload hardware was being assembled, severely impeding the early manufacturing progress of the project. However, the International Telecommunication Union's Security and Regulatory Committee ruled that this supply interruption does not constitute a valid basis for granting an extension, and pointed out that Globalstar did not conduct sufficient risk assessment and supply chain due diligence on its contracted manufacturing base.
The HIBLEO system belongs to the Integrated Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) network, designed to provide low latency voice, tracking data, and emergency message services. Its operating frequency is located in the Big LEO frequency band, with the user terminal uplink using 1610-1626.5 MHz (L-band) and the satellite downlink using 2483.5-2500 MHz (S-band); The regulatory license is submitted to the International Telecommunication Union by All Star France through the French national framework; The system deployment plans to integrate the HIBLEO-X constellation, which was originally authorized by France, with subsequent replacement space stations to maintain continuous orbital coverage.
The mandatory implementation of the original launch node requirements has brought regulatory complexity to Amazon's Direct Device (D2D) strategy. According to the terms of the pending merger, Amazon plans to integrate Globalstar's globally coordinated L/S spectrum assets with its "Project Kuiper" broadband infrastructure to build a unified network that can directly serve low Earth orbit cellular terminals. Although Globalstar has built alternative satellites in parallel with other contractors to update the second-generation hardware, the International Telecommunication Union's rigid ruling on time nodes limits its flexibility in adjusting delays. Globalstar Corporation must coordinate with French regulatory agencies to meet current operational parameter requirements, otherwise it will face international spectrum coordination constraints, which may limit the peak capacity of the merged system before the 2028 deployment window.
(This article was originally published on satellite today and only represents the author's own views.). Compiled by Montgomery Khan
