Intelsat, one of the main members of the C-Band Alliance, saw an 8.3 percent jump in its share price on July 5th following the FCC’s chairman Ajit Pai specifically referring to the upcoming C-band decision. Industry observers expect a decision towards the end of September.

The Chairman’s comments, made in a speech in Argentina, weren’t wholly revealing. He said: “We’re also working on the complicated task of freeing up spectrum for 5G in the 3.7-4.2 GHz band, commonly called the C-Band. I’m optimistic that we will have results to show on this front this fall. Also, as part of our government-wide effort, the FCC is working actively with other federal agencies to reallocate spectrum in the 3.1-3.55 GHz band for commercial use.”
“The first point I’d make is that 5G policy is bigger than any communications ministry and will require leadership at the highest levels of government.”

He stressed that the FCC is pursuing a market-based strategy for 5G, and this seemed to be the comment that spurred investors to back Intelsat.

The efforts behind 5G could be “one of the great moonshots of this generation,” Pai said in his comments, noting it could “revolutionise healthcare, transportation, agriculture, and education.”

Other posts by Chris Forrester:

1. Optimism under threat at SES
2. Rivada visits Terran Orbital’s manufacturing HQ
3. Avanti wins spectrum debt obligation case
4. SpaceX breaks records for re-use launchers
5. IRIS2 already in trouble?
6. Intelsat contemplates next steps
7. SpaceX: 2.7m customers and $180bn value
8. Boeing, Virgin Galactic in court battle
9. Jupiter-3 a changemaker

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