SES-20 ready for business
January 5, 2023
By Chris Forrester
Satellite operator SES says its latest craft, SES-20, has arrived on station at 103 degrees West and is providing back-up protections as an in-orbit spare for its US customers and in particular cable operators who use the location for their cable head-ends.
SES-20 is part of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) obligation to clear a portion of C-band spectrum to enable wireless operators to deploy 5G services across the contiguous US (CONUS).
Satellite operators, including SES, have been tasked by the FCC to clear the lower 300MHz of C-band spectrum throughout CONUS by December 5, 2023. SES-20 is necessary to continue service for customers and reduce the likelihood of a prolonged outage in the event that SES experiences an in-orbit failure during the transition.
Boeing built the satellite which was launched – with SES-21 – by the United Launch Alliance in October 2022.