Satellite Update – May 25, 2012

By Doug Lung
published

From FCCReport SAT-00869, Actions Taken:

  • The Satellite Division granted Intelsat License LLC special temporary authority for 30 days to operate telemetry, tracking and telecommand operations necessary to drift Intelsat 709 from 72.1 degrees east longitude to 47.5degrees EL using specified C-band frequencies.

  • In other satellite news, Space Systems/Loral delivered SES-5 to the Baikonur SpaceCenter in Kazakhstan, where it will be launched aboard a Proton Breeze M vehicle provided by International Launch Services.

  • SES-5 is a multi-mission satellite that includes an L-band payload for the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service, as well as 36 active Ku-band transponders and two Ku-band beams--one for customers in the Nordic and Baltic countries, and the other serving Sub-Saharan Africa. It has two C-band beams, one with global coverage and another with hemispheric coverage. For increases flexibility, the satellite has Ka-band uplink capability. It will be positioned at 5 degrees East Longitude.

  • Eutelsat is now offering its IPEasy service across sub-Saharan Africa.The service uses the recently launchedEutelsat 16A at 16 degrees east longitude and Newtec's Sat3Play technology. The coverage area extends from the Gulf of Guinea to Madagascar and is served from a hub at Eutelsat's teleport in Sardinia, Italy. IP Easy provides high-speed Internet access to residential and home office users, as well as to small and medium-sized enterprises.

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.