Non-geostationary satellite orbit (NGSO) licensing framework toolkit
In this issue
The toolkit aims to provide guidance to regulators and policy-makers as they review, update, or develop licensing frameworks for NGSO systems, with a focus on LEO constellations. It brings together the primary policy choices, regulatory approaches, and practical trade-offs that arise when authorizing market access, spectrum use, earth stations, user terminals, and services, such as D2D connectivity.
The toolkit offers a structured set of 32 issues and approaches, as well as a summary checklist, that administrations can use to adapt their legal mandates, institutional capacity, market conditions, and connectivity objectives. The toolkit also considers issues that largely sit outside the scope of NGSO licensing instruments, including a reliance on space-station reviews conducted by home administrations, EPFD limits, consumer protection and dispute resolution, regional harmonization, cross-border terminal enforcement, and orbital sustainability.
