Satellite Update – December 27, 2011

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From FCC Report SAT-00828 and Hughes:

  • Hughes Network Systems LLC filed a Letter of Intent seeking access to the U.S. market from Jupiter 97W, a Ka-band satellite at 97.1 degrees west longitude (WL) that will operate under a United Kingdom license. Hughes wants to provide fixed satellite service (FSS) to the U.S. using 18.3-19.3 GHz and 19.7-20.02 GHz (space-to-Earth) and 28.35-29.1 GHz and 29.25-30.0 GHz (Earth-to-space). Hughes seeks a waiver to permit FSS in the 18.8-19.3 GHz bands on a non-harmful interference basis and states operations in the 28.6-29.1 GHz bands will be on a secondary basis. Hughes Jupiter is a "bent-pipe" satellite with multiple spot beams. Hughes says the satellite will provide over 100 Gbps of capacity, building on its Spaceway 3 platform. It will employ an enhanced version of the IPoS/DVB-S2 standard. Launch is scheduled for the first half of 2012.
  • Inmarsat Hawaii filed a Letter of Intent seeking access to the U.S. market using a Ka-band satellite Inmarsat KA97W, also licensed by the United Kingdom, at 97.11 degrees WL, just west of Hughes' satellite, using exactly the same frequencies requested by Hughes. Inmarsat Hawaii requested slightly different waivers.
  • Iridium Constellation LLC filed a supplement to a pending application seeing to modify the Iridium Mobile Satellite Service license to including operating authority for Aeronautical Mobile Satellite (Route) Service. Iridium reports in its supplement that the Federal Aviation Administration recently adopted performance standards for Iridium AMS(R)S avionic equipment and granted approval for use of Iridium equipment for AMS(R)S operations in U.S. oceanic airspace. Comments on Iridium's supplement should be filed on or before Jan. 11, 2012.


From FCC Report SAT-00829 and the FCC IBFS:

  • The FCC International Bureau's Satellite Division granted Intelsat License LLC special temporary authority (STA) for 30 days to continue to operate Intelsat 706 at 72 degrees east longitude (EL) on a temporary basis using conventional C-band frequencies and Ku-band frequencies 10.95-11.2 GHz, 11.45-11.70 GHz and 12.50-12.75 GHz (space-to-Earth) and 14.0-14.5 GHz (Earth-to-space).
  • The Bureau determined Orbcomm License Corp. met the Commence Construction milestone associated with modification of its license call sign S2103 to replenish and supplement its NVNG MSS satellite constellation with new satellites not technically identical to Orbcomm's existing in-orbit satellites.
Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack. A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.