30.04.2025

Following the mandate received from the Prime Minister of Romania, ANCOM will actively analyse and promote reviewing the current international regulations regarding EPFD limits in the working groups of international decision-making fora. Revising these limits will allow for more efficient use of the radio spectrum and will pave the way for the development of new satellite communications technologies and services, for all the companies providing such services in the world (SpaceX, Eutelsat/OneWeb, Amazon, etc.).

At the last World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23), it was pointed out that Aggregate Equivalent Power Flux Density (EPFD) limits were developed and agreed upon 25 years ago and that non-GSO systems, operating in certain frequency bands, are restrained by these limits, which were designed to ensure that such systems do not cause harmful interference to GSO networks. Within this framework, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) was mandated to carry out technical studies on the possibility of modifying the EPFD limits and to present the results in 4 years' time, at the next WRC conference, without any regulatory consequences.

Following the test carried out in Romania by the American company SpaceX, which will present its conclusions at ITU meetings at international level, ANCOM will actively support, through its contribution, the process of updating the regulations on the efficient and safe use of the radio spectrum for satellite communications.

This pilot test was a premiere for Romania and for the whole world and an example of effective collaboration between the Authority and the industry. The test demonstrated that modern satellite communication systems can coexist with existing infrastructure, thus facilitating the development of new services both in Romania and around the globe.

All these measures will encourage the accelerated development of these technologies, with benefits for citizens and industry:

• Accessible internet: rural areas will benefit from faster satellite internet connections.
• Digital equality: the urban-rural divide will narrow, improving citizens' quality of life.
• Neutrality: the decision supports all NGSO operators, attracting varied investments.
• Uninterrupted communications in case of emergency situations.