CBA Says 8 New Satellites Are Required for Its C-Band Plan to Work
Intelsat and SES “anticipate” they will have to procure eight new satellites to implement the C-Band Alliance’s plan for the band, and, if it's accepted, they are ready to do so, emailed Preston Padden, CBA head-advocacy and government relations, to…
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FCC commissioners and top staff, posted Wednesday in docket 18-122. “This assessment is based on future demand currently expressed by CBA member’s customers,” Padden explained. “These new satellites will enable Intelsat and SES to operate approximately the same amount of capacity to carry video and other services that they have today in 500 MHz, but using only 300 MHz of spectrum.” The satellites are key to clearing the C-band, he said: “No other plan before the Commission contemplates the procurement of 8 new satellites." All current C-band users would continue to be served in C-band and their expenses for filters and "other reasonable transition expenses" would be paid by CBA. Padden stressed the new satellites will be launched only under his group's plan. He said other plans "ignore the necessity of creating incremental capacity to maintain current user services." Every "plan for clearing C‐band spectrum, other than the CBA plan, necessarily would reduce the capacity for today’s C‐band users," he added.