This is hampering the roll out of new services in the Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine-To-Machine (M2M) arenas, as well as mobile broadband services extending coverage to remote areas not well served by fixed networks. It is also holding back provision of universal access to disaster relief and public protection services in more remote areas.

Such hybrid technologies are of particular interest to both Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and satellite TV providers. For MNOs it offers the potential to extend coverage beyond their existing footprints and also enable efficient delivery of premium broadcast content, as an alternative or complement to LTE Broadcast. For satellite TV providers it enables incorporation of an effective return path via cellular networks without having to deploy their own infrastructure or acquire capacity from a fixed line provider. A notable point here is that uplink data requirements, especially related to pay TV services, are much lower than the downlink, which means that the data rates available over cellular networks are quite adequate.

Another benefit for MNOs in particular is that MSS can provide that elusive 100% coverage across the whole EU without having to invest in infrastructure to reach remote areas where there are hardly any subscribers. The only caveat is that satellite transmission does not penetrate well indoors, although that can be fixed by use of a signal repeater attached to the dish.

But at this stage the economic viability of such hybrid MSS/CGC services is being undermined by the wide disparity between nation states over the regulatory approach within what is the EU’s first pan-European licensing initiative for any mobile offering, according to the EchoStar white paper compiled by research and consulting firm Analysis Mason. The paper reports that this variation in licensing regimes erodes the efficacy of services that combine S-band MSS with CGCs using the same frequency range. Up to 99.9 percent of potential CGC capacity on the ground could be sacrificed as a result of restrictions adopted, or under consideration, by just a few member states’ regulators. In the worst cases the ground CGC network would just be carrying traffic from the satellite.

“There is a clear demand for S band MSS/CGC services across the EU, but the current regulatory climate disincentivises the types of investment required to build the CGC portion which is necessary to make the MSS/CGC services a reality,” said EchoStar Satellite Services President Anders Johnson. “It is imperative that the EU and its member states work, as envisioned in its MSS/CGC regime, towards a harmonized regulatory regime for MSS/CGC that provides licensees with the required flexibility.”

EchoStar’s interest in European hybrid satellite/mobile services follows its acquisition in January 2014 of Solaris Mobile, an Irish operator which already provided MSS/CGC services in the S band. This band spans 2 GHz to 4 GHz and is used by weather and ship radar systems on the ground, but is also available to mobile services.

Indeed the idea of hybrid mobile/satellite services is gaining traction not just for users on the ground but also aviation, as a way of ensuring coverage across whole flight routes. Deutsche Telekom and Inmarsat in September 2015 launched a LTE/satellite internet service for aeroplanes in Europe, with German carrier Lufthansa planning to be first to offer this to passengers from mid-2016. This is not a MSS/CGC service like Echostar is talking about, since while it uses the S-band for the satellite component it relies on normal 4G/LTE mobile services in lower frequency bands on the ground. But it does combine terrestrial cellular with satellite for enhanced coverage.

It uses a satellite custom-designed to offer mobile satellite services (MSS) suitable for flying over dense European routes, exploiting Inmarsat’s 30MHz (2 x 15MHz) S-band spectrum allocation in all 28 EU member states. This is combined on the ground with a new pan-European mobile broadband network comprising around 300 LTE sites being built and managed by Deutsche Telekom. The LTE sites will have a range of more than 80 km, much more than the typical 10 km or less for normal LTE cells, in order to reach the operating altitude of passenger planes over a reasonable distance for data transmission. The satellite connectivity kicks in when aircraft are above 10,000 feet (3000 meters) and is then combined with the LTE network, with the latter enabling uplink access.