EchoStar Mobile Ltd. (EML), a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corp., announced that the global wireless standards body, Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), approved Band 65 to standardize additional European spectrum for broadband wireless services. 

Band 65 includes the 1980–2010 / 2170 to 2200 MHz band for which EML is licensed on an EU-wide basis to provide mobile satellite services (MSS) with a complementary ground component (CGC). Band 65 also includes Band 1, which is widely deployed for terrestrial services in Europe and other global regions.

As EML deploys its MSS/CGC network, 3GPP specifications will enable EML to obtain economies of scale from a regionally harmonized frequency band, and will ensure that European consumers benefit from the more cost-effective network enabled by the 3GPP regional standard.

"This is an important step forward on the path to deployment and commercialization of EML's MSS/CGC network as we prepare for the 2016 launch of the EchoStar XXI mobile satellite," said Anders Johnson, executive director of EchoStar Mobile and president of EchoStar Satellite Services. "We look forward to working with the European Telecommunications Standard Institute to establish the accompanying standards on an EU-wide basis."

For more information, visit echostarmobile.com.