Portugal’s telecom regulator ANACOM issued a proposed decision on Oct. 20 rejecting EchoStar’s request to lease its 2 GHz MSS spectrum to SpaceX. Strategically important for $ASTS as this could represent a template for Country specific SpaceX denial for some EU members. First, EchoStar’s current rights expire in May 2027. So SpaceX’s proposed 3-year lease depends on those rights being extended or renewed. This is likely to happen if you’ve been following the 2GHz MSS proposals. Second, even an extension may not be enough. ANACOM says Portugal’s authorization is tied to EchoStar’s GEO satellite at 10°E, and replacing that with Starlink’s LEO constellation changes a licensed condition. That means SpaceX may need more than access to EchoStar’s spectrum. In at least some EU countries, it may need the underlying authorization rewritten to permit NGSO/LEO operation. 😉 Importantly, this is not final yet. EchoStar and SpaceX get 10 business days to respond, and ANACOM is also running a 10-business-day public consultation. After that, ANACOM will issue its final decision. Under the statutory timetable cited in the document, ANACOM has until Nov. 18, 2026 to act; silence after that period counts as non-opposition. This makes the EU 2 GHz transition look less like a “SpaceX gets EchoStar’s spectrum” story and more like a licensing and regulatory problem that may have to be solved country by country. Or, at least, until the final 2GHz allocation regulatory framework is decided and allocated which is years away (hence the 3y extension). anacom.pt/streaming/SPD20Out…