WASHINGTON—Four major satellite operators today announced the formation of the C-Band Alliance (CBA), a consortium established to facilitate clearing part of the C-band in the United States for 5G wireless service use.

CBA, created by Intelsat, SES, Eutelsat and Telesat, grew out of a market-based proposal submitted to the FCC advocating for a technical and commercial framework to facilitate quick access by wireless companies to a portion of the 3.7GHz to 4.2GHz band.

[Read: FCC Advances Goal Of Opening C-Band]

Bill Tolpegin, current CEO of OTA Broadcasting, will serve as the CEO. Preston Padden will serve as head of advocacy and government relations.

A statement announcing the formation of CBA called its creation a “significant milestone” in the advancement of the market-based proposal. CBA’s creation also signifies the fact that the satellite operators providing the majority of C-band satellite service in the United States have agreed upon the steps that must be taken to clear spectrum for 5G, the statement said.

The new consortium also will work to protect customer services from interference generated by new wireless services using the band.