The U.S. Senate has passed the Secure Space Act of 2026, which restricts satellite licensing for entities on the FCC's Covered List, including several Chinese vendors. Simultaneously, industry groups GCF and MSSA are collaborating to establish global certification and interoperability standards for non-terrestrial networks (NTN) as satellite-to-mobile connectivity scales.
The Senate's move to codify satellite restrictions signals that non-terrestrial networks are now viewed as critical national infrastructure subject to the same geopolitical scrutiny as terrestrial 5G. By extending the Covered List to space, the U.S. is effectively forcing a bifurcated satellite ecosystem where Western operators must choose between cost-efficient Chinese hardware and regulatory compliance. This shift accelerates the urgency for interoperability standards from groups like the MSSA to ensure roaming remains viable across fragmented regional constellations. Watch for the FCC to release specific implementing rules within the next 12 months, which will define the exact technical boundaries for affiliate market access.
The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Secure Space Act, preventing the FCC from granting licenses to Chinese entities on the Covered List, such as Huawei and ZTE. This move signals that non-terrestrial networks are now critical national infrastructure, forcing a bifurcated satellite ecosystem that prioritizes regulatory compliance over cost-efficient Chinese hardware.
The Secure Space Act prevents the FCC from granting market access or earth-station licenses to specific Chinese firms, including China Mobile and ZTE, that are on the Covered List.
The U.S. views non-terrestrial networks as critical national infrastructure, subjecting them to the same geopolitical scrutiny as terrestrial 5G to ensure national security.
The GCF and MSSA signed a memorandum of understanding to develop certification standards for 5G NR and NB-IoT satellite-to-mobile connectivity to improve global interoperability.
Airtel Africa completed the first commercial Starlink Mobile deployments in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with SpaceX expecting gigabit-per-second throughput for maritime users by year-end.
Add StreamingMeme as a preferred source on Google to see more of our streaming news at the top of your Search results.
Add as preferred source
