UK SPF July Plenary 2026 Event Round-up
On 15 July 2026, the UK Spectrum Policy Forum (UK SPF) held its third plenary in 2026, marked by the presentation of the SPF-commissioned study, Spectrum Landscape for Lunar Communications, produced by Real Wireless. The afternoon's discussion ranged far wider, from radio astronomy protection to the Forum's own work programme for the year ahead.
The Report: Mapping a Crowded Cislunar Frontier
Presenting the findings, Real Wireless set out why the timing matters. After decades of relatively sparse lunar activity, a wave of commercial and agency-led missions is now converging on the Moon, particularly its South Pole, alongside a parallel push toward the scientifically prized far side. The study grouped its findings around spectrum requirements and coexistence, the protection of far-side radio astronomy, and the licensing and regulatory gaps this new, multi-operator environment exposes.
Because satellites and landers now in design will operate for a decade or more, decisions on electromagnetic interference (EMI) standards, band protection and coordination need to be made now, not once problems surface in orbit. The report flagged the tension between deploying communications and positioning infrastructure and preserving the far side's status as the quietest radio environment in the solar system.
On licensing, presenters noted today's missions largely operate under informal, voluntary coordination through bodies like the Space Frequency Coordination Group (SFCG), and questioned whether that arrangement can hold as activity shifts from single-agency science missions to overlapping commercial operators. The report concluded that strong capabilities across the Lunar Pathfinder mission and university research could position the UK as a trusted, neutral broker in the negotiations ahead of WRC-27.
The Panel: EMI, Enforcement and the Road to WRC-27
Panellists broadly agreed that EMI characterisation work needs backing and funding immediately, given the design lifetimes of vehicles now being built, while acknowledging any international standard will take time to negotiate given diverging national interests and the novelty of lunar propagation environments.
Discussion also turned to how the UK can build the coalition needed to secure spectrum outcomes at WRC-27, and whether a more formal licensing or coordination regime is needed to avoid a "first come, first served" scramble as commercial operators multiply.
Beyond the Moon: The Forum's Wider Work Programme
The plenary also served as the SPF's regular checkpoint on its broader agenda. The Steering Board Chair updated members on the N77 shared access licensing review, ongoing monitoring of the EU's Digital Networks Act, and preparations for WRC-27.
Each of the Forum's four Clusters then gave a short update:
- Cluster 1 on future work priorities including traffic growth modelling and terahertz sensing;
- Cluster 2 on an October event covering spectrum for drones and aerial connectivity;
- Cluster 3 on the Critical Comms Advisory Group's work with energy, transport and water sectors; and
- Cluster 4 on a September workshop tackling GEO/non-GEO satellite coexistence, one of the most contentious issues heading into WRC-27.
Taken together, the session showed a Forum operating on two horizons at once both feeding into the same destination at WRC-27. The long-term diplomacy of lunar spectrum policy, and the near-term grind of terrestrial spectrum management.
Tales Gaspar
Tales has a background in law and economics, with previous experience in the regulation of new technologies and infrastructure.
Sophie Greaves
Sophie Greaves is Associate Director for Digital Infrastructure at techUK, overseeing the Telecoms Programme, the Data Centres Programme, and the UK Spectrum Policy Forum.