Suppose two satellite operators plan to use overlapping radio frequency bands. One concludes that their systems can operate compatibly; the other expects harmful interference. Each has a technical report, but repeated discussions fail to resolve the disagreement. Who should check the parameters, models and protection requirements?
On September 4, 2026, China’s State Radio Office published a notice introducing a trial of third-party assessments for satellite network coordination within China during 2026–2027. The selection of five recommended organizations had already been announced, covering services including satellite communications, navigation and remote sensing.[1][8]
The mechanism already had a regulatory foundation. The Interim Measures for the Administration of Domestic Coordination of Satellite Networks, which took effect in 2025, established third-party assessment as an available pathway. The 2026 notice specifies who can conduct assessments, how they are commissioned and how their reports enter the regulator’s decision-making process.[1][2] A specialized technical activity now has a more clearly defined service procedure. Could it become a new business opportunity in commercial space?
Why Does Satellite Spectrum Need Coordination?
Satellites and ground stations use radio frequency bands to transmit and receive signals. Telecommands travel uplink, while telemetry and mission data travel downlink. Communications satellites also relay user signals. Frequency determines where a signal sits in the spectrum; bandwidth, transmit power, antenna pointing, coverage, orbit and ground station locations collectively determine how the system affects other spectrum users.[4][5]
The term “spectrum and orbit resources” encompasses radio spectrum and the associated conditions for using satellite orbits. Geostationary satellites remain near a particular longitude above the equator, so coordination concerns combinations of orbital positions and frequencies. Non-geostationary constellations, including those in low Earth orbit, move continuously around Earth. Their analysis must also account for altitude, inclination, constellation configuration and operating conditions that change over time.[4]
In frequency coordination, orbital parameters help determine whether radio systems can coexist. Assessing whether two satellites might collide is a separate orbital safety task requiring collision warnings and appropriate responses. This distinction defines the type of problem third-party assessors are being asked to address.
Returning to the opening example, two systems operating on the same frequency do not necessarily cause harmful interference. Whether their beams cover the same area simultaneously, how effectively a receiving antenna suppresses signals from other directions, and how transmit power and operating periods are managed can all change the outcome. Systems in adjacent bands may also face compatibility issues, requiring analysis of their actual transmission and reception characteristics.[5]
Frequency compatibility analysis therefore brings together system configurations, propagation conditions, antenna characteristics and applicable protection criteria. Depending on the service, interference may be assessed using power flux density, equivalent power flux density or changes in service performance. Some measures concern the radiation intensity reaching a particular location; others account for antenna directionality or examine losses in communications performance.[7][9] A transmitter’s nominal power alone cannot establish whether systems can coexist under the rules.
This explains why spectrum use requires regulation. Frequencies are not consumed like fuel, but the number of systems that can operate compatibly is constrained by the band, location, time and technical conditions. Through its Radio Regulations, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) provides procedures for filing, coordination and recording to protect existing services and improve resource efficiency. Deployment milestones also apply to certain non-geostationary systems, helping discourage prolonged reservation of resources without deployment.[4]
What Does the 2026 Notice Put into Practice?
The Interim Measures for the Administration of Domestic Coordination of Satellite Networks, published on March 12, 2025, and effective from May 1, already identified third-party assessment as one way to complete coordination. An accompanying explanation from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) also noted that a third-party assessment pilot addressing coordination within China for L-band mobile-satellite services had informed the measures.[2][3]
Under the measures, domestic coordination covers frequency coordination between Chinese satellite networks, as well as between satellite networks and terrestrial radio stations. The filing and coordinating parties are responsible for exchanging project information, technical parameters and compatibility analyses, with priority given to reaching an agreement. Third-party assessments, meetings convened by the regulator and written consultations provide other routes to completing coordination.[2]
The rules also screen which networks require coordination. Article 14, for example, states that the Earth exploration-satellite service (passive) and space research service (passive) do not require domestic coordination lists or domestic coordination. Other networks meeting specified regulatory conditions may be excluded from coordination lists or automatically complete coordination under the rules.[2] These provisions apply to the relevant services and conditions; they cannot be extended to every telemetry, tracking, command or data transmission link on a satellite.
In practice, the process involves successive decisions: first establish whether a coordination relationship requires action, then determine whether the issue can be resolved under the rules or through agreement. Third-party assessment addresses specific matters that remain unresolved after repeated consultations, including unreasonable coordination demands, unclear standards, disputed technical analyses or inconclusive compatibility findings.[1][2]
The selection of five recommended organizations was announced in July 2026. The State Radio Office subsequently issued Notice No. 7 of 2026 on August 21 and published it on September 4. The notice sets out the arrangements for selecting and commissioning assessors, assessment deadlines, use of reports and oversight during the 2026–2027 trial.[1][8]
Either party may request an assessment, after which the State Radio Office randomly selects an organization from the recommended list appropriate to the service concerned. Alternatively, both parties may agree on an organization from the list and report their choice to the office. Both must sign a commitment to accept the assessment results, then use a commissioning contract to specify the scope, timetable, rights and obligations, and requirements for protecting trade secrets.[1]
What Do Third Parties Assess, and What Makes Their Work Credible?
Assessors receive satellite network information, radio system parameters and existing compatibility analysis reports from both parties. Their work follows China’s radio management regulations, standards and specifications for the relevant service, with reference to the ITU’s Radio Regulations and relevant Recommendations and Reports.[1]
At the engineering level, the first task is to establish whether both parties have analyzed the same problem: whether network and antenna parameters match, which interference scenarios were used, how coverage changes over time and which protection criteria apply. Inputs, calculation methods and conclusions should have a clear, verifiable relationship. This gives practical meaning to the requirements for accurate data, reasonable models and clear logic, while helping explain why two reports reached different conclusions.[1][5]
Models must also state their assumptions and limits of applicability. Changes in orbital positions, beam coverage, ground station distribution and power settings can alter the results. Retaining inputs, documenting calculation methods and explaining differences make it easier for the coordinating parties and the regulator to review the analysis. Existing ITU space services tools likewise distribute functions such as data validation, power flux density analysis and equivalent power flux density analysis across different software packages or modules.[9]
The notice states that assessments should generally take no more than one month. Compatibility analysis involving complex systems may take longer, generally up to two months. Reports must include the assessment scope, methods, conclusions and recommendations, with personnel signatures and the organization’s official seal. These deadlines apply to the assessment itself; the project’s overall licensing process includes other stages.[1]
A report becomes a basis for determining whether domestic coordination is complete only after the State Radio Office accepts it. Reports containing obvious errors or failing to comply with regulations are returned for reassessment.[1] After completing domestic coordination, the filing party must still apply for the required satellite radio frequency authorization and space radio station licence.[2]
Who Can Participate, and How Do Other Countries Handle Coordination?
The five organizations announced in July 2026 include specialist institutions such as the State Radio Monitoring Center Testing Center and the National Space Science Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, alongside industry companies such as GalaxySpace (Xi’an) Technology Co., Ltd. Their recommended service scopes differ.[8]
Each commission requires an assessment of independence as well as a match with the organization’s service scope. The notice requires assessors to have no conflict of interest in the matter, prohibits predetermined conclusions, and mandates protection of engineering and technical parameters and compliance with confidentiality requirements. Falsification and improper benefits are prohibited.[1] For parties submitting critical system information, these requirements directly affect their willingness to disclose sufficient data and their confidence in the findings.
Internationally, satellite spectrum management also combines technical negotiations with regulatory oversight, although the stages operate at different levels. Under the ITU framework, national administrations submit satellite network information and follow the applicable procedures for international coordination, notification and recording. Requirements vary by satellite service and frequency band. National regulators remain responsible for licensing within their jurisdictions.[4][5]
The UK regulator Ofcom’s satellite filing guidance illustrates one approach. When foreign networks are involved, Ofcom generally contacts the other administration first, after which operators may negotiate directly. For filings where necessary coordination remains incomplete, Ofcom reviews the coordination efforts made and the interference risk before deciding whether to submit a notification to the ITU. It may also impose operating conditions.[6]
In its 2023 spectrum-sharing rules for non-geostationary fixed-satellite service systems, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) required relevant operators to coordinate in good faith, exchange information and apply the corresponding technical protection methods.[7] These arrangements connect technical analysis with regulatory administration. The distinctive feature of China’s trial is its use of recommended organizations to assess specific coordination disputes within China, with an explicit process for regulatory acceptance of their reports.
Two Types of Business Opportunity to Watch
The first is the formal third-party assessment service defined by the notice. It has recommended providers, commissioning contracts and a procedure for accepting reports. Demand depends on whether a coordination relationship exists, whether the parties can reach agreement themselves and whether the dispute enters the assessment process.[1][2] Several filters therefore stand between satellite numbers and formal assessment orders.
The second is technical support throughout routine coordination: preparing and validating network parameters, compatibility analysis, interference simulation, regulatory research and technical support for filings and coordination. These tasks may still be necessary when coordination ultimately concludes through an agreement between the parties. They serve a different function from formal third-party assessments. Operators may develop the capabilities internally or procure them as external technical services.
Demand for these tools and analyses predates the notice. The ITU already provides software for processing and validating satellite network information and performing technical analysis. Its space services FAQ also notes the availability of commercial carrier-to-interference ratio analysis software.[9] The new policy clarifies commissioning procedures and quality requirements for assessments of specific disputes. How many additional orders emerge for general technical support will still depend on customers’ workloads and procurement choices.
Formal assessments have a relatively narrow business scope, while technical support for frequency coordination covers a broader range of work. The two should be tracked separately. For formal assessments, the indicators are actual commissions, regulatory acceptance of reports and dispute resolution outcomes. For technical support, the question is whether operators make recurring purchases of software, data and analytical services. The 2026 notice and selection announcement disclose no order, pricing or revenue figures sufficient to estimate market size.[1][8]
The growing specialization of commercial space extends to these activities. Keeping a system operating over the long term requires satellites and launch vehicles, alongside the engineering capabilities to explain, verify and coordinate interactions between systems. Third-party assessment establishes a concrete procedure for one part of that work. Its commercial value will ultimately depend on whether credible analysis can reduce disputes, improve coordination efficiency and become a service customers are willing to keep buying.
For organizations planning satellite projects, spectrum requirements belong in the early discussion of payloads, ground systems and operating scenarios. STARPATH GLOBAL helps international customers explore suitable satellite, payload and assembly, integration and testing solutions backed by China’s expanding commercial space capacity. Discuss your project with our team to identify options that fit your technical needs and budget.
Information current as of October 26, 2026.
References
[1] State Radio Office: Notice on Conducting Third-Party Assessments for Domestic Coordination of Satellite Networks (2026–2027), State Radio Office Notice No. 7 of 2026, published September 4, 2026.
[2] Ministry of Industry and Information Technology: Interim Measures for the Administration of Domestic Coordination of Satellite Networks, MIIT Radio Document No. 52 of 2025, issued March 4, published March 12, and effective May 1, 2025.
[3] Bureau of Radio Regulation, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology: Explanation of the Interim Measures for the Administration of Domestic Coordination of Satellite Networks, March 12, 2025.
[4] International Telecommunication Union (ITU): Satellite Regulation and Coordination, webpage updated September 2026.
[5] International Telecommunication Union (ITU): Frequency Coordination for Satellite Radio Services in S, X and Ka Bands, November 7, 2023.
[6] Ofcom: Satellite Filings, accessed October 26, 2026.
[7] Federal Communications Commission (FCC): Revising Spectrum Sharing Rules for Non-Geostationary Orbit, Fixed-Satellite Service Systems, FCC 23-29, released April 21, 2023.
[8] China CNTC International Tendering Corporation: Announcement of Results of the Public Selection of Third-Party Assessment Organizations for Domestic Coordination of Satellite Networks, published on behalf of MIIT’s Bureau of Radio Regulation, July 10, 2026.
[9] International Telecommunication Union (ITU): FAQ—Regulatory Procedures for the Submission and Recording of Satellite Networks and Earth Stations, Section 8, particularly 8.20, 8.21 and 8.29; webpage marked as updated July 13, 2022.
