ITU
Satellite industry prepares for WRC-19 on multiple fronts
This fall when the International Telecommunication Union’s next WRC begins, the satellite industry will have its attention divided on multiple fronts ranging from new rules for smallsats to losing satellite airwaves to 5G cellular networks, creating a fear that efforts could be spread too thin to give each topic the attention it needs.
Op-ed | Satellite communications are an essential link for a connected world
There is no slowdown in the pace of satellite innovations: reading the press, it seems that every week brings another new example of how satellite industry could have profound impact on improving people’s lives.
ITU wants megaconstellations to meet tougher launch milestones
Regulators worry that the ITU’s current bring-into-use rules make it too easy for companies to warehouse spectrum, potentially tying up valuable non-geostationary satellite orbit (NGSO) frequencies for years without introducing new satellite services.
Op-Ed | Intelsat’s myopia on C-band
The recent proposal made by Intelsat and Intel in response to the FCC request for proposals on how the satellite industry and the mobile networks can coexist took many of us by surprise.
ITU: mobile networks want some C- and Ka-band spectrum for 5G
The mobile network operators that strove with limited success to obtain large chunks of C-band spectrum two years ago in Geneva will try again in 2019 to secure more spectrune future 5G networks.
FCC Chairman issues sharp warning to satellite industry
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s bare-knuckled attack on satellite operators’ refusal to share Ka-band spectrum with future 5G terrestrial mobile providers ripped through the Satellite 2016 conference here like a cold mountain wind.
Officials fear precedent set as Egypt wins ITU satellite approval pleading ‘force majeure’
Global satellite regulators, in a decision some fear could undermine coordinated management of satellite orbital slots, have granted Egypt three additional years to launch a civil/military telecommunications satellite whose launch deadline was next May.
Laos, with China’s Aid, Enters Crowded Satellite Telecom Field
The Nov. 21 launch of LaoSat-1 highlights three trends changing the global satellite telecommunications market, including regulators' willingness to relax the rules for poor nations.
U.S., Germany Face Uphill Fight for UAV Spectrum
The United States and Germany, backed by several large commercial satellite fleet operators, are fighting an uphill battle to persuade global governments to allocate Ku- or Ka-band satellite spectrum for the command and control of unmanned aerial vehicles on transoceanic or trans-continental routes.
ITU Aircraft Satellite-tracking Agreement Bolsters Aireon Business Case
Global governments’ approval of radio spectrum permitting aircraft to provide additional tracking data to satellites reduces the chance of another lost jet like Malaysian Airlines MH370 and immediately improves the business case for Iridium Satellites and its Aireon LLC aircraft-tracking affiliate.
Low Earth Orbit Constellations Could Pose Interference Risk to GEO Satellites
A proposed wave of low Earth orbit communications satellite constellations could become an interference hazard for satellites in geostationary orbit even if those new systems comply with existing rules, some satellite operators fear.
Isle of Man Helps Britain To Lead in Satellite Registrations
The British dominance includes seven registrations with the United Kingdom’s Ofcom and nine filed through British Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories.
Editorial | Mobilized for WRC-2015
Satellite operators have long been aware of the challenge they face from terrestrial broadband providers for C-band spectrum at the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-2015) this November in Geneva. The question is what they’re going to do about it.
ITU Worried For Satellite Operators as Spectrum Conclave Nears
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), frustrated that the satellite industry appears incapable of defending its own interests, is calling on ITU governments to submit letters attesting to the importance of satellite C-band radio spectrum before terrestrial broadband networks take it away from them.
Number, Affiliations of ITU Meeting Attendees Hint at Stakes Involved
Measuring the future value of radio spectrum is difficult. When the spectrum is not auctioned, but allocated by regulatory ruling, value assessment is even tougher. One measure is corporate attendance at ITU meetings.
Satellite-based Aircraft Tracking Joins C-band Fight on WRC-15 Agenda
International radio-frequency regulators agreed to address satellite-based global commercial aircraft tracking when they meet at WRC-15 to allocate spectrum that will also decide whether frequencies currently reserved for satellite services will be opened to terrestrial broadband wireless networks.
