July 11th saw the clearest indication that the long wait for SES to receive its permissions to acquire rival Intelsat is coming to an end, with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) giving its approval to the transfer “of the control of licenses from Intelsat to SES”. This, in effect, ends the FCC’s oversight of the […]

Would-be global satellite broadband operator AST SpaceMobile has made a satellite modification request to the FCC regarding its operational fleet of satellites. The modification was submitted a month ago by its AST & Science subsidiary and proposes two new 14-satellite shells (98.13° inclination @ 685 km) alongside its already approved 520 km & 690 km […]

The acquisition of Intelsat by SES has been cleared by Federal law enforcement officials. However, this clearance does not yet apply to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The clearance comes from Team Telecom – which comprises officials from the Departments of Defence, Justice and Homeland Security, plus other US agencies. The decision comes with some […]

AST SpaceMobile’s first launch (FM1) of its second-generation Bluebird broadband satellites has been delayed. July 1st saw AST write to the FCC asking for permission to ship the satellite from its Texas HQ to the Indian launch site and for the FCC to grant an “experimental authority to launch and test” the satellite. AST is […]

MultiChoice, the African pay-TV operator, is again under pressure in Nigeria. Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) is set to arraign MultiChoice Nigeria Limited, along with its Chief Executive Officer, John Ugbe, and other company executives, for obstructing its investigation and failing to adhere to lawful summons. Local news reports says that this […]

Charlie Ergen’s EchoStar share price rocketed 43 per cent on June 13th on news that Donald Trump has intervened with FCC chair Brendan Carr over the dispute between the FCC and EchoStar. June 16th saw EchoStar’s share price (Nasdaq:SATS) finish the day at $25.11 (€21.72). A week ago they were $15.99. In a nutshell, the […]

Earlier in May the FCC launched a review into EchoStar’s compliance with certain 5G wireless coverage obligations (as part of their efforts to build the fourth national wireless network in the US) and raising questions about the buildout extensions granted in September 2024 and EchoStar’s utilisation of 2GHz mobile-satellite service (MSS) spectrum. EchoStar has filed […]

The Federal Communications Commission is aggressively pursuing spectrum abundance as part of its Final Frontiers agenda to secure US leadership in space and supercharge the possibilities of satellite broadband. The Commission voted May 22nd to kickstart a proceeding that could unlock more than 20,000 megahertz of spectrum for high-speed Internet delivered from space.  That amount […]

Reports from the US say that Charlie Ergen-backed EchoStar is being investigated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over alleged compliance issues over federal requirements linked to EchoStar’s building of a nationwide 5G network. The news hurt EchoStar’s share price which crashed 17 per cent (by $4.01) and in the words of lawyers from the […]

Would-be international satellite direct-to-device business Lynk Global has won a modification to its existing operating licence from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Luxembourg-based SES has an investment position with Lynk. “We want to thank the FCC for quickly granting our licence modification to provide service in the United States. Lynk previously received the world’s […]