Why satellite radio is changing right now

For most of the history of professional radio communications, satellite was a specialist technology. VSAT terminals, proprietary equipment, installation costs running to thousands of pounds, and latency figures that made voice communications difficult — satellite was for oil rigs, ships and military operations. Not for a construction site in the Midlands or a field service team covering rural Scotland.

That has changed fundamentally in the last three years. The combination of Low Earth Orbit constellation density, the 3GPP Release 17 Non-Terrestrial Network standard, and a new generation of direct-to-device capable satellites means that satellite connectivity is now approaching the cost, simplicity and performance of terrestrial cellular — and in some respects, exceeding it.

For operations that rely on two-way radio communications, this matters in a specific way: satellite is no longer just a backhaul option for fixed base stations. It is becoming a primary connectivity layer for mobile handsets in areas where terrestrial infrastructure doesn’t reach. The implications for lone worker protection, remote site operations, offshore teams and international deployments are significant.

Three tiers of satellite connectivity

Not all satellite connectivity is the same. Understanding the three tiers — and what each is suited to — is the starting point for any satellite radio integration project.

LEO direct-to-handheld for field teams

The most significant development in satellite radio for field operations is the emergence of LEO direct-to-device — the ability of a Low Earth Orbit satellite to communicate directly with a standard mobile handset, without any specialist ground equipment.

For operations directors and safety managers, the practical implication is straightforward: a field worker with a compatible smartphone or PTT device can send and receive communications in areas with zero terrestrial coverage — without carrying a separate satellite terminal, without VSAT equipment, and without the associated cost and complexity.

The technology works because LEO satellites operate at 500–2,000km altitude, giving round-trip latency of 20–40 milliseconds — comparable to a good 4G connection. At that performance level, voice communications and PTT radio operation are practical. This is fundamentally different from earlier satellite phone systems using GEO satellites at 35,786km, where 600ms latency made voice awkward and PTT impractical.

Current LEO direct-to-device operators in the UK market include AST SpaceMobile (partnered with Vodafone), Lynk Global, and SpaceX Starlink Direct to Cell (partnered with EE). Commercial service availability is expanding through 2025–2026. Yesway monitors operator coverage and compatibility with professional radio platforms — contact us for current deployment options for your sector.

VSAT and fixed satellite backhaul

For fixed or semi-fixed remote sites — offshore platforms, construction compounds, agricultural operations, utility substations in rural areas — VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) broadband satellite backhaul remains the most capable solution for supporting full radio network infrastructure.

A VSAT installation provides broadband internet connectivity to a remote site, over which you can run IP-based radio dispatch, repeater linking via RoIP (Radio over IP), GPS fleet tracking platforms, and data applications — exactly as you would over a terrestrial broadband connection. The satellite backhaul is transparent to the radio system; the infrastructure at the remote site operates normally.

LEO-based VSAT — primarily Starlink Business — has transformed the economics of this architecture. Starlink Business provides download speeds of 100–350 Mbps with latency of 25–60ms for a hardware cost of around £2,500 and a monthly service fee, versus GEO VSAT systems that typically required specialist installation, long-term contracts and significantly higher ongoing costs. For temporary or semi-permanent remote site deployments, Starlink Business has made satellite backhaul commercially viable at a scale that was not possible five years ago.

UK licensing and Ofcom requirements

Satellite radio systems in the UK are subject to two separate regulatory layers — and understanding both is essential before deployment.

The radio terminal layer — your handheld, vehicle-mounted or base station radio — must be licensed under the relevant Ofcom radio spectrum framework, typically a Simple UK Light licence or a site-specific licence depending on frequency, power and whether the frequency is shared. This is unchanged by the addition of satellite backhaul.

The satellite earth station layer — the terminal communicating with the satellite — requires its own authorisation. Standard commercial LEO terminals from Ofcom-licensed operators (Starlink, OneWeb) are covered by the operator’s UK licence when used in standard configuration. Non-standard configurations, modified equipment, or deployments in frequency bands not covered by blanket licence terms require individual site licensing from Ofcom.

For cross-border deployments, each country’s national regulatory authority has jurisdiction over terminals on its territory. A system licensed in the UK requires additional authorisation in other operating jurisdictions — a compliance management task that is often underestimated for international operations.

Spectrum coordination in multi-orbit networks

As LEO, MEO and GEO satellite systems proliferate, spectrum coordination has become an increasingly complex engineering challenge — particularly for system integrators designing hybrid satellite-radio networks that span multiple operators and frequency bands.

The core issue is interference management. LEO satellites, GEO satellites and terrestrial radio systems all operate in overlapping frequency bands in some configurations. When a LEO satellite passes over a GEO arc, or when a satellite system uses frequencies also allocated to terrestrial services, careful coordination is required to ensure that systems don’t interfere with each other.

For business operators, the practical implications are: frequency planning for any satellite-linked radio network should account for the satellite operator’s interference coordination obligations; systems operating near GEO satellites require careful antenna pointing management; and in frequency bands shared between satellite and terrestrial services, interference analysis may be required to demonstrate compliance with Ofcom conditions.

Integrating satellite with your existing radio system

The most common question we receive about satellite radio integration is: “Can I connect my existing radio system to satellite backhaul without replacing the infrastructure?” In most cases, yes — and the integration pathway is well-established.

All articles in this series

Each article below covers a specific aspect of satellite radio integration in depth — written from practitioner experience across 30 years of RF and satellite systems engineering, Ofcom licensing, and operational radio deployments across UK industry.