The Isle of Man has won its battle with Bermuda concerning a disputed satellite filing slot after the telecoms regulator for the UK and its overseas territories, Ofcom, favoured the Island's priority status.
The conflict occurred when the Isle of Man's 2002 application for the slot serving the North American market - reported to be worth an estimated $850 million a year in revenue - was followed by an application for a very similar radio frequency from Bermuda which would have caused interference.
However, legal action by the Manx authorities has been avoided after a representation to Ofcom, which, in a recently released report, announced that the party making the first application would have priority in the event of a disputed slot - in this case, the Isle of Man.
The Island's Communications Commission had initially asked the Tynwald for £500,000 to cover potential legal costs and help “promote and defend the space industry in the Isle of Man”, a sum which will now not be needed.
According to the Isle of Man Online, Anthony Hewitt, director of the Communications Commission welcomed the Ofcom report, and noted that:
"Ofcom has come up with a decision which does allow conflicting filings from Bermuda, but it goes a long way in the detail to solidifying the status of our position. Mansat has got clients of international standing, this is the strength of the Isle of Man, we are growing a space industry that is real, not just speculative paper filings. Bermuda had seen how much success the Isle of Man and Gibraltar were having and was looking to jump on the bandwagon."
The space and satellite industry was identified by Treasury Minister Alan Bell last year as a “small but exceedingly promising area for the Island,” and the corporate tax rate for firms in the sector was cut in the 2004 budget to zero percent.
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