Intelsat, SES, Eutelsat, Telesat create C-Band Alliance

News Video United States 1 OCT 2018
Intelsat, SES, Eutelsat, Telesat create C-Band Alliance

Intelsat, SES, Eutelsat and Telesat created the C-Band Alliance (CBA) consortium to accelerate making band spectrum available for 5G services. The formation of the CBA shows the industry alignment necessary to make this mid-band spectrum available quickly, thus supporting the US objective of winning the race to introduce terrestrial 5G services.

The market-based proposal was created in response to a proceeding initiated by the FCC in August 2017, which led to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that was formally approved by the FCC on 12 July and published in the Federal Register of 30 August. The proposal reflects the unique US telecommunications environment and aims to protect the quality and reliability of the extensive services provided by satellite operators in the C-band spectrum to US broadcasters, media, and data companies.

The proposal creates a commercial and technical framework that would enable terrestrial mobile operators to quickly access spectrum in a portion of the 3,700 to 4,200 MHz frequency band in the US, speeding the deployment of next-generation 5G services.

The proposal specifies the use of a consortium, now known as the CBA, to undertake the technical and commercial implementation of the spectrum clearing process. This process is necessary to repurpose the C-band spectrum for use in a 5G environment. The CBA will be led, effective immediately, by Bill Tolpegin, currently CEO of OTA Broadcasting, who will serve as CEO of CBA. Media sector veteran Preston Padden will serve as head of Advocacy and Government Relations.

A significant milestone in the progression of the proposal, the establishment of the CBA signifies that the satellite operators delivering the vast majority of satellite C-band services in the US have agreed upon the key technical and commercial steps necessary to enable commercial implementation of the spectrum clearing process. The CBA also ensures that customer services are protected from potential interference as new wireless services are introduced into the cleared portion of the spectrum.

Categories:

Satellite

Companies:

Eutelsat,  FCC,  Intelsat,  SES,  Telesat

Countries:

United States

Tags:

Government telecommunications licensing, Cooperations & alliances, Wireless, Satellite

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