The satellite industry is shoving back on wireless industry arguments against Boeing's plans for 2,900-plus V-band satellite constellation. "Authorizing V-band service does not require the Commission to choose between terrestrial and satellite services," the company said in an International Bureau filing Monday, taking aim at various wireless interest arguments that Boeing's proposed satellite constellation would hamper V-band use for 5G (see 1612020002). Satellite Industry Association said wireless arguments that the spectrum frontiers proceeding should supersede Boeing's application are flawed since the agency isn't required to complete more work on the frontiers before the bureau takes substantive action on the Boeing request.

The satellite industry is shoving back on wireless industry arguments against Boeing's plans for 2,900-plus V-band satellite constellation. "Authorizing V-band service does not require the Commission to choose between terrestrial and satellite services," the company said in an International Bureau filing Monday, taking aim at various wireless interest arguments that Boeing's proposed satellite constellation would hamper V-band use for 5G (see 1612020002). Satellite Industry Association said wireless arguments that the spectrum frontiers proceeding should supersede Boeing's application are flawed since the agency isn't required to complete more work on the frontiers before the bureau takes substantive action on the Boeing request.

The Satellite Industry Association and Global VSAT Forum issued a set of cybersecurity core principles that they say should be central to private and public sector cybersecurity efforts. The three principles are an endorsement of "voluntary, industry-led efforts and public-private partnerships" as the best route to address cybersecurity; a plug for voluntary information sharing "free from fear of adverse consequences"; and a call for satellite industry groups to tackle cybersecurity issues "using industry best practices for risk management," the trade groups announced Thursday.

The Satellite Industry Association and Global VSAT Forum issued a set of cybersecurity core principles that they say should be central to private and public sector cybersecurity efforts. The three principles are an endorsement of "voluntary, industry-led efforts and public-private partnerships" as the best route to address cybersecurity; a plug for voluntary information sharing "free from fear of adverse consequences"; and a call for satellite industry groups to tackle cybersecurity issues "using industry best practices for risk management," the trade groups announced Thursday.

L-3 Electron Technologies joined the Satellite Industry Association, the trade group announced Tuesday. Part of L-3 Communications' Space & Power sector, it makes hardware, including traveling wave tubes and electric propulsion systems for space and military applications.

Amazon pushed voice control by Alexa as a differentiator for its Music Unlimited on-demand music service announced Wednesday. Amazon’s $9.99-per-month service ($7.99 for Prime members or $79 per year) gives subscribers access to “tens of millions of songs” and thousands of playlists and personalized stations that can be accessed via the Alexa voice engine.

Amazon pushed voice control by Alexa as a differentiator for its Music Unlimited on-demand music service announced Wednesday. Amazon’s $9.99-per-month service ($7.99 for Prime members or $79 per year) gives subscribers access to “tens of millions of songs” and thousands of playlists and personalized stations that can be accessed via the Alexa voice engine.

With the satellite industry increasingly offering broadband speeds and direct-to-home services, it needs enough protected access to greenfield millimeter wave spectrum bands to enable those offerings, the Satellite Industry Association said Tuesday in a filing in FCC docket 14-177. Satellite commenters joined wireless and other interests responding to a spectrum frontiers Further NPRM (see 1610030047). SIA said the FCC needs to ensure satellite systems can locate individually licensed earth stations on a coordinated basis and can deploy user terminals in parts of the upper millimeter wave bands. It said the FCC needs to guarantee V-band satellite systems have enough access to uplink and downlink spectrum for those individually licensed earth stations and end user terminals. The 37.39 GHz, 47 GHz, 50 GHz and 70/80 GHz bands "have substantial existing FSS [fixed satellite service] allocations" and the industry "plans to make intensive use" of that spectrum, SIA said. It backed protection of feeder links in the 24.75-25.25 GHz band and for the FCC to specify that satellite use of that band isn't limited to broadcasting satellite service feeder links. It said rules for upper microwave flexible use (UMFU) in the 24, 47 and 50 GHz bands should, at least, identify aggregate interference to satellites as a possible risk "and commit to addressing it," akin to what it did with 28 GHz. Global VSAT Forum (GVF) said the V-band spectrum needs of broadband satellite systems preclude some of the spectrum sharing ideas in the NPRM for satellite end user terminals in parts of the 47 GHz band. Instead, GVF said, UMFU terminals could operate on an opportunistic basis, having full use of the band when FSS end user operations were small. Inmarsat said current satellite bands opened for UMFU use should keep primary satellite allocations and consideration should be given to opening the band to diverse satellite operations perhaps on a secondary basis if there's no pre-existing satellite allocation. It urged individual examination of the utility of each band for addressing future spectrum needs without first determining technical rules and licensing regimes: "In some cases, the best approach may be to introduce [UMFU service] on a secondary basis, if at all." Boeing, which is pursuing creation of a V-band non-geostationary orbit satellite constellation (see 1606230050), said the FCC should avoid any UMFU spectrum allocation in the 47 and 50 GHz bands and keep UMFU operations to the 28 GHz and 37/39 GHz bands. It urged letting satellite systems operate downlink transmissions in the 37/39 GHz band at ITU power flux density levels, saying the lower limits the FCC adopted are now outdated, given better technology. And it said any UMFU sharing in the 42 GHz band should be done on a shared basis, with satellite end user terminals able to receive signals there on a shared opportunistic basis with UMFU systems.

With the satellite industry increasingly offering broadband speeds and direct-to-home services, it needs enough protected access to greenfield millimeter wave spectrum bands to enable those offerings, the Satellite Industry Association said Tuesday in a filing in FCC docket 14-177. Satellite commenters joined wireless and other interests responding to a spectrum frontiers Further NPRM (see 1610030047). SIA said the FCC needs to ensure satellite systems can locate individually licensed earth stations on a coordinated basis and can deploy user terminals in parts of the upper millimeter wave bands. It said the FCC needs to guarantee V-band satellite systems have enough access to uplink and downlink spectrum for those individually licensed earth stations and end user terminals. The 37.39 GHz, 47 GHz, 50 GHz and 70/80 GHz bands "have substantial existing FSS [fixed satellite service] allocations" and the industry "plans to make intensive use" of that spectrum, SIA said. It backed protection of feeder links in the 24.75-25.25 GHz band and for the FCC to specify that satellite use of that band isn't limited to broadcasting satellite service feeder links. It said rules for upper microwave flexible use (UMFU) in the 24, 47 and 50 GHz bands should, at least, identify aggregate interference to satellites as a possible risk "and commit to addressing it," akin to what it did with 28 GHz. Global VSAT Forum (GVF) said the V-band spectrum needs of broadband satellite systems preclude some of the spectrum sharing ideas in the NPRM for satellite end user terminals in parts of the 47 GHz band. Instead, GVF said, UMFU terminals could operate on an opportunistic basis, having full use of the band when FSS end user operations were small. Inmarsat said current satellite bands opened for UMFU use should keep primary satellite allocations and consideration should be given to opening the band to diverse satellite operations perhaps on a secondary basis if there's no pre-existing satellite allocation. It urged individual examination of the utility of each band for addressing future spectrum needs without first determining technical rules and licensing regimes: "In some cases, the best approach may be to introduce [UMFU service] on a secondary basis, if at all." Boeing, which is pursuing creation of a V-band non-geostationary orbit satellite constellation (see 1606230050), said the FCC should avoid any UMFU spectrum allocation in the 47 and 50 GHz bands and keep UMFU operations to the 28 GHz and 37/39 GHz bands. It urged letting satellite systems operate downlink transmissions in the 37/39 GHz band at ITU power flux density levels, saying the lower limits the FCC adopted are now outdated, given better technology. And it said any UMFU sharing in the 42 GHz band should be done on a shared basis, with satellite end user terminals able to receive signals there on a shared opportunistic basis with UMFU systems.

Associations and companies of every stripe support FCC efforts to streamline rules for so-called Team Telecom reviews of transactions involving foreign ownership, according to comments posted Friday in docket 16-155. “Protection of U.S. national security, law enforcement, and public safety interests need not entail the uncertainty, costs, and inequitable treatment embodied by the current Team Telecom review process,” said Level 3. Commenters want the FCC to hold executive branch review to certain timelines and reduce the scope of deals that trigger Team Telecom review, they said.