A government consultation ahead of efforts to transform Bermuda into a global hub for satellite companies has exposed a difference of opinion between local and international companies.

The consultation, which closed last month, is to rewrite commercial space regulations as part of the development of a modern policy for regulating Earth Stations in Bermuda.

Giant international companies have already proposed there be no requirement for them to maintain much of a local presence, preferring to run all of the administrative operations from off-island.

But that is not what the Government has proposed or what local companies, One Communications and Digicel, say should be allowed to happen.

The consultation has been introduced by the Ministry of Home Affairs with technical input from the Regulatory Authority of Bermuda.

Earth stations are the main ground-based hardware designed for transmitting and receiving signals to and from orbiting satellites.

The consultation closed on June 19 after having drawn feedback from global satellite operators (Blue Origin, Amazon Leo and AST SpaceMobile), local telecommunications providers (One Communications, Digicel Bermuda and Link Bermuda), together with individual entrepreneurs.

The Public Consultation on the Proposed Regulatory Framework for the Licensing of Earth Stations in Bermuda is a key component of Bermuda’s National Space Strategy, aimed at positioning the jurisdiction as a global hub for satellite and space-related activities while driving economic diversification beyond insurance and tourism.

The Government’s intent is to create a forward-looking, transparent framework that balances technological innovation with regulatory oversight, domestic economic participation and the promotion of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) education.

The Government asked respondents to address how earth stations are authorised in other jurisdictions and what approach would be most appropriate for Bermuda.

Beyond regulation, the Government is looking to diversify the economy, create jobs and educational opportunities in addition to new revenue.

It wants the stakeholders to address Bermuda’s interest in building domestic Stem capacity through educational partnerships and professional training.

The Government’s global space hub plan proposes a risk-based National Earth Stations Licensing Framework with a blanket licence for common, low-risk user terminals while requiring individual site-specific licences for more complex infrastructure like gateways and tracking stations.

A central debate in the consultation involves a local presence and regulatory equity. The Government and local companies such as Digicel and One Communications, advocate for mandatory local incorporation and “domestic anchoring” to ensure operators are legally accountable and contribute fairly to the local communications ecosystem.

The consultation said applicants for spectrum licences must be companies duly incorporated under Bermuda law.

But global satellite operators like Amazon Leo, Blue Origin and AST SpaceMobile argue that such requirements create unnecessary barriers to investment, proposing instead that a designated representative should suffice for legal and technical coordination.

A competitor in the space race, Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, opposed mandatory local incorporation, suggesting a 24/7 technical contact is sufficient for accountability.

Relatedly, Amazon Leo (Kuiper Systems LLC) argued mandatory local incorporation creates barriers to entry for global satellite networks. Amazon Leo is a subsidiary of Amazon, established in 2019 to deploy a large satellite internet constellation providing low-latency broadband connectivity.

AST SpaceMobile argued that a regional “gateway model” is more efficient while still preserving local control and full compliance with Bermudian rules, regardless of whether the physical infrastructure is hosted on the island or shared regionally.

The framework also establishes strict operational standards, including mandatory lawful interception capabilities, 72-hour cybersecurity incident reporting, and adherence to Bermuda’s Personal Information Protection Act.

The Government’s intention to use the licensing process to foster Stem education and technical training for Bermudians has left stakeholders divided on whether these contributions should be mandatory licence conditions or voluntary, incentive-based partnerships.

The most high-profile earth stations previously in Bermuda included the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s tracking station, which opened on Cooper’s Island in 1961 to offer support for space missions out of Cape Canaveral, Florida, and was shut down in 1999.

A new Nasa tracking station was opened on Cooper’s Island in 2018, and a spokesperson at that time said it would “assist Nasa in monitoring current and future missions”.

Another significant Bermuda earth station was Cable and Wireless Bermuda's 30-metre, 400-tonne dish, erected in Devonshire in 1984 and taken down in the early part of this century. It communicated with Intelsat satellites in geostationary orbit and carried international telephone, data and other telecommunications traffic, including also supporting US space missions.