Al Yah Satellite (Yahsat) and Hughes Network Systems began a joint venture, YahClick, powered by Hughes, to provide commercial satellite services across Africa, the Middle East and southwest Asia, the companies announced Sunday. YahClick provides direct-to-premise service including broadband to homes and small- and medium-sized enterprises, they said. Masood Sharif Mahmood, CEO of Yahsat in the UAE, is YahClick chairman and Hughes President Pradman Kaul a board director.
The FCC's deal with Dish Network, in which Dish agreed to bid $1.5 billion in the H-block spectrum auction in exchange for waiving of some rules on Dish's AWS-4 licenses, "is unheard of in the annals of administrative law," NTCH said in a docket 18-1241/18-1242 initial brief (in Pacer) Thursday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. NTCH sued after the agency in August upheld a Wireless Bureau waiver request it was appealing (see 1808160065). In its brief, NTCH said the FCC set the reserve price in that auction at an unreasonably high level tied to the Dish deal to discourage potential bidders and ensure Dish would win most or all licenses. It said the construction extension Dish received ran contrary to well-established FCC policy on extending time for wireless system buildouts. The FCC challenged NTCH's standing (see 1810250056), and the company in its brief said it complied with the agency's standing requirements and it has Article III standing under the Constitution since the regulator's actions deprived the company of an opportunity to get an H Block license. The agency didn't comment.
Peraton Communications joined the Satellite Industry Association, the group said Wednesday. SIA said Tuesday aerospace company Leonardo joined.
The first of the Air Force's GPS III satellites is scheduled for Dec. 18 launch via a SpaceX rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, the military said Monday.
The eighth and final launch of Iridium's Next broadband satellite constellation is scheduled for Jan. 7, a few days' delay, from Vandenberg Air Force base, California, the company tweeted Friday. Iridium emailed that the launch, on a SpaceX rocket, is later than originally scheduled because of a several days' delay involving Spaceflight Industries SSO-A SmallSat Express launch by SpaceX out of Vandenberg earlier this month.
Satellite interests with a plan to clear some 200 MHz in the C band opposed T-Mobile's plan (see 1811130055) and stumped for theirs, in early replies Friday to be posted in FCC docket 18-122. T-Mobile seeks a commission-run, "market-based auction mechanism to maximize the use of the 3.7-4.2 GHz band by terrestrial licensees, while permitting satellite operators to retain sufficient spectrum to continue to provide services" and share auction revenue. It wants at least 300 MHz in most areas available for terrestrial networks. Satellite companies, including those allied with the C-Band Alliance, have a different plan where carriers could buy rights to use frequencies in the secondary market. That's "favored by commenters spanning a diverse array of industries and interests, including the commercial aviation industry, C-band satellite operators," ISPs, broadcasters, content distributors, video programmers, carriers and others, said the alliance alliance of Eutelsat, Intelsat, SES and Telesat. T-Mobile's recommendation "would add years of delay to 5G deployment," the group said. "The Communications Act does not provide authority for the Commission to conduct the T-Mobile auction proposal because it would be neither voluntary nor among competing bidders." The company "assumes" the agency "would force or threaten to force the satellite operators to do more than they volunteered to do" on "how much of their shared, non-exclusive spectrum they are able to collectively repurpose within an 18-36 month timeline while maintaining high service quality," said Intel, Intelsat and SES Americom. T-Mobile declined to comment. Replies are due Tuesday, after the Wireless Bureau granted a request for more time by the American Cable Association, Competitive Carriers Association, Dynamic Spectrum Alliance, Public Interest Spectrum Coalition and Wireless ISP Association. The groups didn't comment and the docket lacked their replies, which some noted they hadn't yet filed.
Sheppard Mullin joined the Satellite Industry Association as affiliate, SIA said Wednesday.
ATIS recommended government take more actions to ensure GPS and global navigation satellite system security, amid vulnerabilities. They are: establish a positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) program for civilian infrastructure; publish GPS disruption analysis; develop a self-assessment tool that helps organizations and individuals discover how and where they use and depend on PNT; monitor for GPS/GNSS disruptions; and enhance efforts to enforce spectrum violations. ATIS’ Sync committee suggestions stemmed from an April GNSS Stationary Timing Receiver Resilience Workshop, “and represent the views of government, industry and GPS/GNSS users,” said ATIS CEO Susan Miller Wednesday. The suggestions were sent to DOD, the Commerce, Homeland Security and Transportation departments, the National Security Council, National Space Council and Office of Management and Budget. Putting the recommendations “into action will speed development of solutions to mitigate the risks to the systems that are the critical backbone for precision timing for so many industries,” Miller said, and is part of ongoing work. The FCC last month approved U.S. nonfederal devices accepting signals from Europe’s Galileo GNSS system, though Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel raised security concerns (see 1811150028). During the federal government's closure Wednesday, her office and the FCC didn't comment. Trimble didn't comment, and Garmin referred our query to the GPS Innovation Alliance. That group "strongly" backs "enhanced enforcement against spectrum violations and welcome[s] efforts that facilitate the sharing of information, raise awareness and collaboration of stakeholders to improve the resilience of critical systems," said Executive Director David Grossman.
Low earth orbit (LEO) mega constellations are particularly focused on consumer broadband as a key market, but to reach those markets they need cheap flat panel antennas, even as FPA developments are headed in other directions with higher revenue potential, Northern Sky Research analyst Lluc Palerm-Serra blogged Monday. He said FPA mass production would help reduce costs, and as LEO constellations ramp up in the mid-2020s, FPAs could start having enough traction to lower prices.
A reduction in the 25-year rule, more work toward active space debris removal solutions and a dedicated and autonomous subsystem for satellite decommissioning would help reduce orbital debris proliferation, space services company D-Orbit said in an FCC docket 18-313 posting Monday. Satellites at orbits above 600 kilometers should be required to have propulsion capabilities for station-keeping and collision avoidance maneuvers, plus autonomous systems like propulsive modules for de-orbiting, it said. It urged requiring phasing between satellites when a number are deployed in the same orbit. Ideas to incentivize practices that would minimize orbital debris include a tax for every launch or object in orbit for every year of operations, or a deposit to licensing authorities, returned after end-of-life operations.