Since there's no international frequency allocation for inter-satellite links, the FCC should dismiss ViaSat's seeking to use part of the Ka-band for that, Hughes said in a docket 18-86 posting Monday. It urged the FCC in its small satellite proceeding shoot down ViaSat seeking rules to allow inter-satellite service spectrum use when there's no allocation for such use. Hughes said at least defer authorizing Ka-band fixed satellite service spectrum for inter-satellite links until after technical studies. ViaSat didn't comment. Hughes has opposed ViaSat's inter-satellite links plans in the past (see 1706270014).
The earth stations in motion order and Further NPRM on this week's FCC members' meeting agenda (see 1809040058) should include language seeking comment about ESIMs communicating with non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) constellations in the Ka-band to help develop the record, SES/O3b said in a phone call with aides to Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioners Brendan Carr and Mike O'Rielly. So recounted a docket 17-95 posting Monday. SES/O3b urged "more immediate action" on allowing NGSO ESIMs and said at the least the agency should commit in the FNPRM to issuing a separate NPRM proposing NGSO ESIM rules.
Fixed satellite service wholesale capacity revenue from telecom applications will surpass those from video applications by 2021 as the FSS industry keeps moving toward the telecom/data markets due to eroding video markets, Euroconsult said Thursday. It said the telecom revenue growth reflects the emergence in coming years of low-cost capacity coming online from high-throughput systems and the development of non-geostationary orbit broadband systems. It said total capacity supply is projected to grow eightfold from 1.3 Tbps in 2017 to close to 10 Tbps by 2022. Meanwhile, legacy services could face "necessary pain" on their businesses, the firm said: 2017's net growth in capacity usage wasn't accompanied by revenue growth since the FSS industry is dealing with capacity pricing issues.
Getting a better understanding of satellite operators' use of the 3.7-4.2 GHz band is the first step to ensuring that public radio's programming services are protected and unimpaired, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai told House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., in a letter posted Tuesday. Dated Sept. 7, it was in response to one from Cole raising concerns about how clearing part of the C-band for wireless services would affect the Public Radio Satellite System (see 1807090048). Pai said the April freeze on new earth station applications and the 180-day registration window for existing ones is aimed at giving the FCC information it needs to proceed with the rulemaking.
DigitalGlobe wants to add 12 non-geostationary remote-sensing satellites to its licensed Earth exploration satellite service (EESS) system. In an FCC International Bureau modification application Tuesday it said each block of six satellites would be put into orbit on two launches. It said the satellites will operate at altitudes of 450 to 870 km for the first part of their mission and then converge to nominal altitudes of 763 km or 518 km, depending on orbital plane, with that attitude convergence taking place during the first year of on-orbit operations. It said the first six WorldView-Legion satellites are under construction, and it received a NOAA license in January to operate the 12 as part of its EESS system.
The worldwide satellite launch and space insurance market is expected to top $1.3 billion by 2022, Technavio said Wednesday. It said a big driver is the growing number of satellite launches due to more demand for satellite-based services such as reconnaissance and Earth observation.
Earth station in motion operators continue to clash with Iridium over the idea of ESIMs sharing the 29.25-29.3 GHz band on a co-primary basis with Iridium feeder links. In a docket 17-95 posting Wednesday, Inmarsat, SES and ViaSat said Iridium's proposed changes to the ESIM draft order (see 1809130025) would be too restrictive of aeronautical ESIMs in the band. They said Iridium hasn't shown why it supposedly can't coordinate with aeronautical ESIMs and said any in-line event involving an Iridium earth station, an ESIM, an Iridium satellite and the geostationary satellite would "be an extremely rare occurrence," while near in-line events would still be "very rare." They also said there's no material difference in potential effect of aeronautical ESIMs vs. ESIMs on the ground and since Iridium has said it can coexist with land and maritime ESIMs there's no reason the same doesn't hold true for aeronautical. Iridium emailed that the technical record and years of international studies show ESIMs will cause interference to non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) systems like its own. "And it is equally clear no one has identified a traditional way to coordinate ESIMs and NGSOs," it said. "This problem is manifestly worse with aeronautical ESIMs because: (1) they move very, very fast; (2) they change altitude; and (3) they can fly right between the gateways and the Iridium constellation -- making in-line events a certainty unless the ESIM is turned off. The draft Order has suggested that NGSOs can be protected by turning ESIMs off if they can see an Iridium satellite. That might work if it were adopted as a rule."
The federal Government Education and Training Network (GETN) consortium of agencies gave Hughes a blanket purchase agreement contract for a global satellite network to support its distance learning programs, Hughes said Tuesday. The agreement -- $15 million in funding over up to five years -- builds on the existing contract it had with GETN, Hughes said. It said the network covers more than 1,000 downlink sites with one or more classrooms, five uplink sites, 21 broadcast studios and 44 international sites.
Non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) annual capacity revenue should hit $4 billion by 2027, as their low latency and high bandwidth per terminal should open the door to new markets to satellite, Northern Sky Research said Tuesday. However, the cost of such constellations is huge and the revenue drivers might not be enough to recoup initial investments, meaning risk of possible price disruptions for the whole satellite industry if NGSOs use capacity to poach customers from legacy operators, NSR said. It said even the constellations that have attracted significant funding lack a clear path to service and operator focus on technology development has to shift to commercialization.
As the FCC looks to revise or ax unnecessary regulations (see 1611030042), Iridium has its sights on the procedure for blanket authorization holders adding transceiver/antenna combinations to their licenses. In a docket 16-251 posting Tuesday, it recapped a phone call with International Bureau Satellite Division staff in which it advocated the agency let some earth station minor modifications be done without having to notify the FCC as long as those changes don't involve such issues as additional operating frequencies, polarization changes or a higher antenna. The company said the agency should clarify that adding new transceiver/antenna combinations to an existing blanket earth station license doesn't require prior FCC notification when they meet certain requirements.