Supplemental coverage from space service will provide a huge backstop to terrestrial networks' coverage, especially when disasters and emergencies strike terrestrial networks. But SCS also will carry significant challenges for pinpointing callers' locations, speakers said Tuesday at an FCBA CLE.
Matt Daneman
Matt Daneman, Senior Editor, covers pay TV, cable broadband, satellite, and video issues and the Federal Communications Commission for Communications Daily. He joined Warren Communications in 2015 after more than 15 years at the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, where he covered business among other issues. He also was a correspondent for USA Today. You can follow Daneman on Twitter: @mdaneman
Opening the 2 GHz band and the 1.6/2.4 GHz band to more satellite operators won't happen without a fight from incumbent satellite operators in those bands. SpaceX is pushing for such openings (see 2403270002). EchoStar and Globalstar argued against amending the rules governing those bands in comments posted Monday. The FCC Space Bureau in March rejected SpaceX requests to operate in the bands but put on public notice SpaceX petitions about amending the rules governing the bands.
Expect more Max bundling with other streaming services and partnering with telcos around the world, Warner Bros. Discovery executives said Thursday as the company announced Q1 2024 results. WBD and Disney this week unveiled a Disney+/Max/Hulu streaming bundle that will launch this summer.
EchoStar's initial move into the postpaid wireless market "was rushed," as the company had spent a lot of focus on its wireless network infrastructure and not as much on its go-to-market strategy, CEO Hamid Akhavan said Wednesday as the company announced results for the quarter ending March 31. He said the prepaid and postpaid wireless businesses will do better in the second half of the year. Raising cash is one of its biggest objectives, given looming debt and lack of sufficient cash on hand, he said. EchoStar shares closed Wednesday at $15.44, down 11%.
Other nations are increasingly interested in regulatory alignment or reciprocity with the U.S. on space sustainability-related issues, leadership at Commerce's Office of Space Commerce told an FCBA audience Wednesday. But a murkier issue is who would handle that harmonization, OSC Director Richard DalBello said.
Space operations need more data sharing and openness about who is operating where, satellite operators and space industry representatives and regulators said Tuesday in an FCBA CLE. Multiple speakers expressed the need for more global, integrated rules as well as added consistency in space situational awareness (SSA) data.
Heavy competition the cable industry faces from fiber and fixed wireless access (FWA) is moving downscale, with multiple cable operators telling Wall Street in recent days that there's more pressure at the lower end of the market. Some anticipate greater pressure on their internet subscriber numbers due to the looming end of the affordable connectivity program. Moreover, Charter Communications said it's already seeing effects from February's freeze on new ACP enrollments (see 2402010075).
The low earth orbit (LEO) satellite boom is aping the consumer electronics model of cheap and standardized, meaning the industry must focus more on rapid replacements that are also environmentally sustainable, said Aaron Boley, University of British Columbia Outer Space Institute co-director, speaking at an IEEE event Thursday on LEO and sustainability. Darren McKnight, LeoLabs senior technical fellow, said the proliferation of spent rocket bodies left in orbit is an increasing concern. Among regulatory agencies, the FCC has "set a good example" in trying to tackle orbital debris, McKnight said. The commission has said it would refresh its space debris mitigation docket (see 2405020048).
Rather than the FCC requiring reviews for each mission undertaken on an in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing mission, numerous ISAM interests are pushing the agency to consider a blanket license approach. In docket 22-271 comments this week, numerous parties also questioned the FCC's authority over ISAM and whether it's drifting far from its spectrum oversight role. Commissioners, on a 5-0 vote, approved an ISAM licensing NPRM in February (see 2402150053).
With legacy satcom operators seeing new competition from low earth orbit entrants and rapidly changing technologies, big scale and multi-orbit capabilities are "critical to success," SES CEO Adel Al-Salah said Tuesday in a call with analysts as the company announced its $3.1 billion purchase of Intelsat. Combined, the two will have a $9 billion backlog, a constellation of well more than 100 satellites covering 99% of the globe and revenue focused heavily on growth areas such as maritime and aviation connectivity, he said. The companies said the deal is expected to close in the back half of 2025, pending regulatory approval.