LEO Satellites in APEC: A Gamechanger for Bridging the Digital Divide

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) has released its official report Fostering Connectivity: The LEO Satellite Opportunities in APEC, produced under the Telecommunications and Information Working Group (TELWG). The study was led by the US APEC-RISE program and co-authored by Access Partnership’s Hamza Hameed, and Peter Lovelock, with review and inputs from Ann Katsiak of Cadmus. The report was formally launched at the Third Senior Officials’ Meetings (SOM3) in Incheon, Korea, in August 2025.

The report provides one of the first comprehensive assessments of regulatory challenges and opportunities posed by Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite broadband systems across APEC economies. It highlights best practices, regulatory developments, and recommendations to harness LEO technologies for bridging the digital divide, enhancing resilience, and fostering competition in broadband markets.

Key findings:

Regulatory reform is essential: Modernising landing rights, streamlining licensing, and revising spectrum fee structures are critical to enabling timely deployment of LEO broadband.

Digital inclusion opportunities: By 2030, an estimated 500 million people could benefit from satellite broadband, with associated household benefits valued at USD 52 billion.

Policy momentum across APEC: Economies including Australia, Canada, Chile, Mexico, the Philippines, Singapore, and the United States have already introduced significant reforms to accommodate LEO constellations.

Regulatory best practices for LEO satellites

The report underscores that enabling frameworks should be light-touch, technology-neutral, and regionally harmonised. Recommended best practices include:

Blanket licensing for large numbers of user terminals to lower costs and accelerate deployment.

Avoiding unnecessary domestic gateway requirements, instead allowing traffic through existing networks or secure virtual connections.

Cost-based spectrum fees that incentivise service provision in rural and underserved areas.

Simplified type approval processes to reduce terminal costs for consumers.

Reviewing local entity and foreign ownership restrictions to lower barriers to entry and expand market competition.

Why this matters

LEO satellite systems represent a transformative connectivity opportunity for the Asia-Pacific. By adopting forward-looking regulatory frameworks, APEC economies can accelerate universal broadband access, support 5G integration, and expand connectivity to remote and underserved communities.

Access Partnership remains at the forefront of advising governments and industry on regulatory reform for LEO and broader space-based connectivity solutions. For additional information, please contact Hamza Hameed at [email protected].