SES-18 open for C-band business
June 27, 2023
By Chris Forrester
SES’s latest satellite, SES-18, has gone fully operational from 103 degrees West. The craft replaces SES-3’s C-band payload. SES-18 is enabling SES to continue delivering C-band broadcast and radio services to millions of US homes, as well as provide other critical network communications services to the US.
SES-19, which was launched in tandem with SES-18, has arrived at its orbital slot at 135 degrees West, where it is co-located with SES-22.
With this milestone, SES has completed the successful in-orbit deployment of five of the six new satellites as part of a broader Federal Communications Commission (FCC) programme 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 2023. The remaining sixth satellite, SES-23, is on the ground as a spare to provide redundancy in case of need.
SES-18 is critical to that effort, enabling SES to transition existing services to the upper C-band frequencies while maintaining uninterrupted services for customers. By providing contractual service protections to customers who receive video services in the US, SES-18 will enable SES to finish clearing C-band spectrum to help accomplish the FCC’s goals for American 5G innovation.
“We are excited to see our final two new C-band satellites in their orbital positions, and for SES-18 to provide continuity of service for our customers in the US,” said Steve Collar, CEO at SES. “Thanks to our partners who have been an integral part of our C-band transition programme, we look forward to completing the programme ahead of the FCC’s accelerated relocation deadline.”
SES-18 and SES-19 were successfully launched by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket in March 2023 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. SES-18 and SES-19 were designed, manufactured and assembled by Northrop Grumman.