The United Nations telecommunications agency's annual forum on the sustainable use of orbital and spectrum resources, held in Riyadh in 2026 under the theme "Connected Earth, Sustainable Space".
The Space Sustainability Forum is organised by the International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations agency responsible for allocating radio spectrum and satellite orbital slots. The 2026 edition takes place from 12 to 14 October in Riyadh, hosted by Saudi Arabia's Communications, Space and Technology Commission, and carries the theme "Connected Earth, Sustainable Space". It is the third edition, and the first to merge the Space Sustainability Forum with the ITU's Connecting the World from the Skies programme into a single event. Previous editions gathered more than 6,000 online and in-person participants from 143 countries, with 63 senior and expert speakers. Participation is available both in Riyadh and online.
Two goods in space are genuinely scarce: radio spectrum and orbital positions. Both are allocated through the International Telecommunication Union under a treaty framework, not bought on a market. That makes this forum a different kind of gathering from a commercial satellite conference. The people who matter in the room are national regulators and administrations, because they are the ones who file for spectrum and orbital resources on behalf of operators. An operator with a constellation plan and no administration behind it has nothing to file.
The sustainability framing is recent and reflects a real problem. Megaconstellation filings have grown faster than the coordination machinery designed for a few dozen geostationary satellites a year, and the resulting congestion is a spectrum problem before it is a collision problem.
The published scope covers orbital and spectrum resource management, space sustainability governance, satellite connectivity for underserved regions, interference mitigation, direct-to-device and non-terrestrial network integration, and international regulatory coordination. The merger with Connecting the World from the Skies pulls the development and connectivity agenda into the same programme, which is consistent with the ITU's mandate: orbital sustainability matters to the agency largely because unsustainable use degrades the service that satellites are supposed to deliver.
No. It is a United Nations agency forum. Satellite operators and vendors attend, but the format is policy and regulatory dialogue rather than business development, and there is no exhibition floor in the commercial sense.
Saudi Arabia's Communications, Space and Technology Commission is the host for the 2026 edition. The kingdom has been building a position as a venue for international space and telecommunications events, and hosted the Space Debris Conference in Riyadh in June 2026.
Yes. Previous editions ran hybrid, and the 2026 edition offers both in-person attendance in Riyadh and online participation. The 6,000-participant figure from earlier editions combines both.
The International Telecommunication Union is the oldest United Nations specialised agency, founded in 1865, and administers the Radio Regulations that govern spectrum and satellite orbital slot allocation worldwide. Saudi Arabia's Communications, Space and Technology Commission is the national regulator for telecommunications, space and emerging technology, and acts as host and co-organiser for 2026.
Not a trade show but a regulator's room: this is where orbital slots and spectrum, the two scarce goods in space, get argued over in public.
Registration was listed as coming soon on the official forum page at the verification date, with both in-person and online options announced. ITU forums of this type are typically open to registered participants from member administrations, sector members, academia and accredited observers, and are commonly free or low cost, but no fee was published for the 2026 edition. Anyone planning to attend in person should watch the forum page from late summer, since visa arrangements for Saudi Arabia need lead time.
12 to 14 October 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The specific venue was not published at the verification date.
No participation fee was published. Registration details were still listed as coming soon on the official page.
Most nationalities require a visa. Saudi Arabia operates an electronic visa scheme for many countries and typically issues event visas for international conferences, but processing time should be planned for.
The theme and scope are published well ahead. The detailed agenda and speaker list appear closer to the dates, as is standard for ITU events.
| Official website | https://www.itu.int/ssf/ |
| International Telecommunication Union | https://www.itu.int/ |