The FCC unveiled plans earlier this week to again hold an auction of satellite C-band spectrum. It has now emerged that SES, the main satellite beneficiary of the restructuring, is firmly in favour of the FCC’s scheme. The FCC plan is to auction “at least” 100 MHz by July 2027. The FCC said the commission […]

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has circulated a proposal to advance America’s leadership in wireless by seeking comment on auctioning additional mid-band spectrum in the Upper C-Band. The draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking will seek comment on a range of options, including auctioning up to 180 megahertz of spectrum in the 3.98-4.2 GHz band for next-gen […]

The CEOs of Europe’s major mobile operators and manufacturers have sent a letter to EC President Ursula von der Leyen calling for greater urgency and boldness in how her Commission is executing her mandate to restore Europe’s competitiveness. They say that in a society and economy that is ultradependent on digital connectivity, the market and […]

UK comms regulator Ofcom has announced the final results of its mmWave spectrum auction, following completion of the remaining stages. On October 16th, Ofcom announced the results of the Principal stage, which determined how much spectrum each of the three bidders – EE, O2 and VodafoneThree – had won, and how much they had committed […]

UK comms regulator Ofcom has announced the outcome of the Principal stage of its auction to release more airwaves to improve 5G in the busiest places. A total of 5.4 GHz of spectrum was up for grabs – the most ever to be made available in an Ofcom auction. This spectrum, known as ‘mmWave’ because […]

EchoStar has met global regulatory conditions, unlocking the S-band sale to SpaceX and paving the way for Starlink’s 20x faster direct-to-device rollout. This is an important move for SpaceX. The S-band frequencies unlock Starlink’s direct-to-device rollout, aiming for a claimed 20x speed boost. The real benefit is S-band’s resistance to rain fade, and which can […]

Mark Jamison, Non-resident Senior Fellow at public policy think tank The American Enterprise Institute, has suggested it is time to disband the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), arguing that it has “run its course”, having become “a convenient political tool”. Writing in the AEIdeas blog, he suggests that current FCC Chairman Brendan Carr now has the […]

There are widespread reports that US cellular giant Verizon Communications is negotiating to buy wireless spectrum from EchoStar. Reuters summed up the situation saying the discussions involve EchoStar’s AWS-3 licences, which are valuable for carrying 5G wireless signals. If the deal goes through, Verizon would join AT&T and SpaceX as recent buyers of EchoStar’s wireless […]

Mobile UK, the trade body for the UK’s mobile operators, has urged the government to prioritise the industry as a critical engine for national competitiveness. In an article originally published on Politics Home, it suggests that world-class mobile infrastructure will play a key role in achieving the government’s ambitions for economic growth, innovation and inclusion. […]

UK comms regulator Ofcom has opened a consultation on proposals to revise and improve the way it licenses non-geostationary satellite orbit (NGSO) systems. NGSO systems use satellites to provide services such as broadband to individuals, businesses, and other organisations, particularly in remote areas. Ofcom introduced the current process for licensing NGSO systems in 2021 with […]