The two are preparing to connect the Arctic with non-geostationary orbiting (NGSO) satellite payloads, GX10A and 10B – UK regulator mulls giving them Ka band access in UK
UK regulator Ofcom has opened a consultation around its proposal to grant an NGSO network licence to Inmarsat Global Limited (IGL) and Space Norway for the GX10 NGSO system operating in the Ka band. The GX10A and 10B multi-beam, high-throughput payloads are designed to operate in Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO), and are expected to extend Viasat’s – Inmarsat’s owner – high-speed global network across the Arctic to answer growing customer demand in the region.
To deliver this Inmarsat partnered Space Norway and its subsidiary Space Norway HEOSAT as part of the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission. Once in service, the GX10 NGSO system is expected to provide the world’s first commercial broadband network dedicated to the Arctic and are designed to be compatible with current and future GX terminals.
Ka band within the UK?
Ofcom’s licence, if granted, will allow the two to operate user terminals in the Ka band within the UK, enabling the provision of satellite communications services—including broadband—to commercial, government, aeronautical, and maritime customers. These terminals would connect to the two NGSO satellites, which are intended to extend coverage of the existing Global Xpress (GX) geostationary network into the polar region while also offering additional, intermittent coverage over most of the UK for 80–90 percent of the time.
Space Norway owns and operates the ASBM-1 and ASBM-2 satellites and the two Ka band payloads (GX10A and GX10B) on board those satellites. The company leases capacity made available over those payloads to IGL on an exclusive basis to provide Ka band services (using 29.5-30 GHz ) to customers within the coverage of the satellites, including the UK – particularly above 65° North, including Arctic zones.
This proposed NGSO licence would also authorise Inmarsat (in collaboration with Space Norway) to operate gateway earth stations facilitating broadband and communications traffic from GX‑10 constellations over the Arctic and northern parts of the UK – where polar orbital passes occur.
Multi-orbit path
In contrast to Inmarsat’s primarily polar-targeted footprint, Space Norway’s broader NGSO relationships with Telesat Lightspeed and Starlink focus on covering EMEA and maritime routes via a multi-orbit strategy. So this Inmarsat tie-up seems intended to fill geographic gaps — particularly polar connectivity — within an Orbit‑agnostic model where Arctic connectivity is important to governments, maritime users, and defence entities.
Space Norway is building a multi-orbit satellite services platform, integrating geostationary (GEO), highly elliptical orbit (HEO), and now low Earth orbit (LEO) capabilities. In June 2025, it officially became an authorised reseller of Starlink, enabling low‑latency maritime and land-based connectivity across EMEA via the Starlink constellation.
Earlier, in March 2025, it signed a term sheet with Telesat to incorporate that company’s Lightspeed LEO capacity pool – featuring multi‑Gbps rates, inter-satellite links, private landing-station support, zero‑trust cybersecurity architecture and service-level agreements targeting defence and enterprise clients, especially in the Arctic and EMEA regions.
This dovetails with Space Norway’s existing infrastructure: it operates GEO assets (like the upcoming THOR 8 satellite), HEO assets as part of its Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission, and ground services via Kongsberg-owned KSAT facilities such as SvalSat. The company is busy positioning itself as an orbit‑agnostic, multi‑orbit connector, capable of meeting diverse needs from sovereign/government clients requiring closed‑network predictability, to maritime and commercial enterprise sectors demanding low‑latency terrestrial‑like service.
Orbit agnostic
In a recent interview with Via Satellite, CEO Morten Tengs emphasised that Space Norway is building a truly orbit‑agnostic platform, integrating GEO (via THOR 8), HEO (Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission), and now LEO via the Telesat Lightspeed agreement. He stressed that LEO is not a sideline, but a key component of a multi-orbit, multi-mission offering, particularly targeted at government, defence, maritime, and enterprise clients in polar and EMEA markets.
Tengs also noted that Space Norway is open to partnering with multiple LEO constellations, not just Telesat, though he praised Lightspeed’s network architecture. Additionally, the CEO explained that GEO (THOR 8) remains relevant for use cases demanding fully controlled, closed networks – such as government or mission-critical services – highlighting why a multi-orbit strategy is essential.
The consultation closes on 2 September 2025.
Q/V band for GSO and NGSO gateways
In a separate but related move, Ofcom is now also consulting on authorising parts of Q/V band for use by GSO and NGSO gateways. This follows its recent consultation on proposals to grant temporary licences to Starlink to use E band (71-76GHz and 81-86GHz) for NGSO gateways at three sites. The regulator is proposing to extend access for satellite gateway use into these bands under its “Satellite (Permanent Earth Station)” licence (for GSO gateways) and “Satellite (non-geostationary earth station)” licence (for NGSO gateways).
Specifically, the following frequencies for use by satellite gateways operating with GSO satellites and NGSO constellations would be made available in GSO: uplink 47.2-50.2 GHz, 50.4-52.4 GHz; downlink 37.5-42.5 GHz and in NGSO: uplink 47.2-50.2 GHz, 50.4-51.4 GHz2 ; downlink 37.5-42.5 GHz.
Ofcom is proposing to allow gateway deployments in ‘low density areas,’ which comprise nearly all of the UK landmass outside of the 68 major towns and cities identified as ‘high density areas’ for the upcoming 40 GHz award.
This consultation closes on 30 September 2025.
