Chile updates and enhances satcoms rules

Details: Vaughan O'Grady; Category: Satellite Networks; 03 July 2026; 509 views

Chile telecoms regulator Subtel has this week announced plans to expand competition in satellite services in Chile and to incorporate new bands to improve connectivity.

Subtel – the country’s Undersecretariat of Telecommunications – has published a modification to the technical standard that regulates the fixed satellite service, incorporating new frequency bands for its operation in the country.

This means that as well as established bands such as Ku and Ka for satellite service, the ruling has expanded to incorporate new frequency ranges that include the W band (ranging from 75 to 110GHz). In the coming days Subtel says it will publish plans to incorporate the V band (40 to 75GHz).

In practice, this will permit an expansion of the capacity of satellite networks, improve data transmission and strengthen satellite connectivity, especially in remote and rural areas or areas with less access to terrestrial infrastructure such as fibre optics or 5G.

Subtel says this change is also part of its agenda aimed at facilitating the deployment of infrastructure and accelerating the adoption of new technologies, particularly in rural and remote areas, with the aim of promoting investments that improve the quality of networks, and thus the quality of life of people.

The measure applies in general to all operators and satellite internet service companies that already operate in Chile – including Starlink and HughesNet – as well as to new companies that may join the market in the future. The hope is that the updated ruling will attract more investment and strengthen the regulatory framework by making it more modern and competitive.

The Undersecretary of Telecommunications, Romina Garrido, explains that with more radio spectrum “satellite services can operate more efficiently, support a greater volume of traffic and offer better services to people”. This will show itself, he says, “in more stable connections, higher speed and shorter network response time, in addition to more resilient connectivity against emergencies or interruptions, complementing the telecommunications infrastructure that already exists in Chile, especially for isolated and rural areas”.