The avalanche of legal filings and motions in the increasingly bitter dispute between SES and Intelsat over the division of C-band ‘incentives’ from the FCC is simply immense. April 14th saw another flood of documents, but one stood out, which contained Intelsat’s strong rebuttal of some of SES arguments. The opening paragraph says it all: […]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has initiated an outreach programme direct to US consumers and asking them to share their experiences about their access to broadband. A new webpage explains the FCC’s programme and provides direct links to consumer resources including a new “share your broadband experience” option. “Far too many Americans are left behind […]
An Arianespace rocket used the Russian Vostochny Cosmodrome to successfully place 36 OneWeb satellites into orbit on March 25th at 2.47pm GMT. The satellites were released in groups of 4 which took over four hours and deployed the craft in their near-polar orbits at 450 kms above ground. The launch brings the number of OneWeb […]
Investment bank analysts at Morgan Stanley believe that the news that Elon Musk has asked the FCC for permission to expand its Starlink broadband-by-satellite system to moving vehicles (trucks/RVs, aircraft and ships) has not only major implications for the auto industry, but the “topic appears to be moving even faster than we had anticipated”. Last […]
A hearing on March 17th before Judge Keith Phillips at his Intelsat bankruptcy court decided to deny certain stockholders any official voice in the upcoming Intelsat financial restructuring. The ad hoc group also wanted the court to determine which of the dozens of Intelsat businesses should receive the FCC’s C-band incentive payments. The group of […]
The Federal Communications Commission is making valuable mid-band spectrum in the 3.45-3.55 GHz band available for auction to facilitate 5G deployment across the contiguous United States. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 required the Commission to commence a system of competitive bidding for licences in the 3.45-3.55 GHz band by the end of 2021. The […]
The world’s three-largest satellite operators are complaining to Canada’s government regarding its proposed restructuring of C-band spectrum for 5G adoption. In essence they are saying that they must be compensated for giving up their frequencies over Canada, and any Canadian scheme which only compensates Telesat would be a violation of trade agreements. The comments come […]
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is seeking permission to launch its Starlink broadband-by-satellite service to moving vehicles. Musk, in a Tweet, stressed that Starlink was not targeting Tesla or other cars, but aircraft, ships, large trucks and RVs; “Our terminal is much too big [for cars]” he said. Sami Kassab, satellite analyst at investment bank Exane/BNPP, said […]
SpaceX, which is moving ahead with its broadband-by-satellite service, is asking the FCC for permission to beam signals to moving vehicles, vessels and aircraft. If granted, the SpaceX services will be ‘blanket licensed’ under the FCC’s existing ‘Earth Stations in Motion’ rules and be capable of handling internet services to any moving vehicle including cars […]
During its results call with analysts, SES explained that its “unparalleled reach” continued to expand. Back in 2016, it reached some 325 million homes (more than a billion people) and was delivering about 7,741 channels. By Q3/2020 its channel count had expanded to 8,157, the Number 1 supplier of channels in the industry. Drilling down […]