News from the world of satellites comes as U.S. wireless operators try to get more of their C-band spectrum rolled out to users. The reason is that companies like Intelsat and SES have licenses to this spectrum. SES just announced this week that they would be willing to assist with the launch of a satellite. The plan will be to clear out this spectrum so that wireless carriers could begin utilizing it for their 5G networks.
The SES-22 launched from SpaceX’s Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral in Florida on Wednesday. It will deliver TV and radio content to millions of American homes and provide other critical data transmission.
The FCC began this accelerated C-Band clearing program and SES Chief Development Officer Christophe De Hauwer was brought in to lead SES’ efforts. SES’s responsibilities include ensuring ground stations are correctly pointed and tuned, technology is upgraded where needed and filters are installed to protect customers against interference.
“It’s definitely a complicated program,” De Hauwer said. “It’s the orchestration of the whole thing… It’s a very big spreadsheet.”
The first phase involved the lower 120 MHz that was cleared last year. This second part requires clearing the lower 300 MHz of spectrum so that everything can be packed into the upper 200 MHz.
SES is launching a total of five satellites to make this second phase happen, De Hauwer said. The launch this week carries one satellite, while two more launches later this year will carry two each. This will give SES enough capacity to support its customers, which are moving into the higher frequencies aligned with the new satellites. The first satellite is expected to be operational for SES customers in August.
After SES completed Phase 1 ahead of the December 2021 deadline, they announced a deal with Verizon to speed up the process. Their efforts earned almost $1 billion in accelerated relocation payments by doing so. They’re expecting to earn another $3 billion in accelerated payments by meeting the Phase 2 December 2023 deadline ahead of schedule.
Satellite companies weren’t happy of course to make these moves, but the FCC offered the accelerated relocation payment plan, and they took it. Naturally, they don’t want their own services to be affected – something that would affect customers of content providers like CBS, Disney and Viacom. They lease capacity from the satellite companies. In turn, they work out deals with cable companies to get their programming on the air.