In a blog leaning heavily on analogies with blockbuster movie Top Gun and its ‘Need for Speed’ tagline, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has set out the Commission’s activities in executing the 5G FAST Plan — a comprehensive strategy for advancing American leadership in 5G, as well as updating progress on its forthcoming C-band auction. “We […]
Inmarsat and Hughes Network Systems have joined Eutelsat in objecting to the FCC’s current C-band auction rules. The pair say that the FCC’s incentive scheme favours Intelsat and SES and will give the two satellite giants an unfair competitive advantage. Inmarsat and Hughes (and EchoStar Satellite Services) have written to the FCC saying they agree […]
A court case has been heard by the US Court of Appeals between ABS, Hispasat and Arsat which had been arguing that the FCC should pause the date of Commission’s Dec auction of C-band frequencies over the US. The trio were deliberately excluded by the FCC from its incentive plan for C-band compensation given to […]
Eutelsat has told the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that it will clear its required C-band spectrum over the US, and will order a new C-band satellite to provide replacement capacity for existing services. Eutelsat is required to clear its spectrum and have a satellite in orbit by 2023 in order to qualify for the FCC’s […]
Both Intelsat and FCC filed their C-band accelerated spectrum transition plans with the FCC on June 19th. The schemes outline how their clients will be moved in order to free up spectrum for the FCC’s 5G adoption. The plans show how some 3,500 cable head-ends and 13,500 Earth stations will have 60,000 blocking filters changed […]
Network technology provider Nokia has successfully completed a series of Over-the-Air (OTA) 5G NR (new radio) trials in C-band spectrum, in Dallas, Texas. The drive tests, which achieved stable peak throughput speeds of over 1 Gbps, confirmed that Nokia’s solution is ready for commercial deployment ahead of the US C-band spectrum auction in December. The […]
As reported on June 16th, Luxembourg-based SES has ordered up four new satellites from US manufacturers to replace the C-band capacity it is giving up as part of the FCC’s accelerated C-band clearance plan. Northrop Grumman and the Boeing Company to manufacture and assemble the C-band only satellites in Dulles, Virginia and in Los Angeles, […]
The US satellite industry is about to get a few billions-worth of order for new craft. The new satellites will provide the fresh bandwidth to replace the C-band frequencies being given up as a result of the FCC’s push for 5G adoption in the US. Maxar Technologies has already said it has received a “multi-satellite” […]
A report from Northern Sky Research (NSR) forecasts an eventual recovery for the satellite communications (satcom) market from the Covid-19 virus, but it is going to take time and investment to get back to normality. NSR says that the Covid-19 challenges will have a “deep impact” in the short to medium terms, which it expresses […]
TV TEM, an affiliate of TV Globo, has signed a multi-year contract with Eutelsat Communications for capacity on its Eutelsat 65 West A satellite to distribute its programming within its concession region in the São Paulo state. The partnership has enabled TV TEM to seamlessly migrate its feeds from traditional C-Band (3.7 GHz to 4.2 […]