We review recent progress in addressing the decompactification problem of gauge couplings in the context of heterotic string theory with spontaneous supersymmetry breaking. This problem is particularly relevant in large volume scenarios where quantum corrections to gauge couplings typically explode and the theory is driven to the non-perturbative regime. We discuss a recently proposed mechanism in which the problem may be avoided by balancing the contribution of Kaluza-Klein and winding states against the universal contribution due to gravitational and dilaton diagrams.