TC SES

Satellite communication systems, services and applications including fixed, mobile and broadcasting as well as satellite navigation systems and earth station equipment.

The world’s population relies increasingly on satellite services for many different purposes. These include voice and data communication, radio and television broadcast, distribution and contribution links, location services, maritime and aeronautical communications.

The work of ETSI’s Technical Committee on Satellite Earth Stations and Systems (TC SES) includes:

Satellite communication services and applications (including mobile and broadcasting);
Earth stations and earth station equipment, especially the radio frequency interfaces and network and/or user interfaces and protocols implemented in earth stations and satellite systems.

Key areas of work

Satellite communication systems, and applications including fixed, mobile, broadcasting, navigation systems, inter-satellite links (RF and optical) and space operations.

Radio frequency interfaces, network and user interfaces of earth stations and their equipment.

Protocols implemented in satellite systems and earth stations.

What we do

TC SES develops technical standards for satellite communication systems including their radio frequency interfaces, network and user interfaces. Currently much of the Committee’s work is related to the development of harmonised standards, which are used to ensure presumption of conformance towards the Radio Equipment Directive (RED) 2014/53/EU.

Explore our Work Programme

TS 101 851 Satellite Earth Stations and Systems (SES); Satellite Component of UMTS/IMT2000. Broadband Satellite Multimedia systems are described in ETSI Technical Specification TS 102 292 and Technical Report TR 101 984.

To date, ETSI’s work on standards for satellite earth stations on board vessels and trains has been limited to Harmonised Standards that may be used to demonstrate compliance of equipment with European Commission’s Radio Equipment Directive (RED):

EN 302 340 – Earth stations on board vessels operating in 11/12/14 GHz frequency bands for Fixed Satellite Service
EN 301 447 – Earth stations on board vessels operating in 4/6 GHz frequency bands for Fixed Satellite Service
EN 302 448 – Earth stations on board trains operating in 14/12 GHz frequency bands
EN 303 980 - Fixed and in-motion Earth stations in 11 to 14 GHz frequency bands
EN 303 981 - Fixed and in-motion Wide Band Earth Stations (WBES) in the 11 GHz to 14 GHz frequency bands
EN 303 413 – GNSS receivers operating in the 1 164 MHz to 1 300 MHz and 1 559 MHz to 1 610 MHz frequency bands

Standards & documents

See all standards

ETSI EN 301 443 V2.2.0 (2026-07) On Approval

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Satellite Earth Stations and Systems (SES); Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT); Transmit-only, transmit-and-receive, receive-only satellite earth stations operating in the 4 GHz and 6 GHz frequency bands; Harmonised Standard for access to radio spectrum
ETSI EN 301 721 V2.2.0 (2026-07) On Approval

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Satellite Earth Stations and Systems (SES); Mobile Earth Stations (MES) providing Low Bit Rate Data Communications (LBRDC) using Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites operating below 1 GHz frequency band; Harmonised Standard for access to radio spectrum
ETSI EN 303 699 V1.2.0 (2026-07) On Approval

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Satellite Earth Stations and Systems (SES); Fixed earth stations communicating with non-geostationary satellite systems in the 20 GHz and 30 GHz FSS bands; Harmonised Standard for access to radio spectrum
ETSI EN 301 441 V2.2.0 (2026-07) On Approval

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Satellite Earth Stations and Systems (SES); Mobile Earth Stations (MES), including handheld earth stations, for Satellite Personal Communications Networks (S-PCN) operating in the 1,6 GHz/2,4 GHz frequency band under the Mobile Satellite Service (MSS); Harmonised Standard for access to radio spectrum