Updates and Analysis of FCC Spectrum Management and Auction Policy
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Friday, March 4, 2016
Satellite Communication frequency ranges
Most systems use the C and Ku bands but more use
of
higher frequencies is in the near future primarily
because as there is much more
available spectrum.
L band: 1- 2 GHz
S band: 2- 4 GHz
C band: 4- 8 GHz
X band: 8-12 GHz
Ku band: 12-18 GHz
K band: 18-26.5 GHz
Ka band:26.5-40 GHz
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Dispute between Gogo and AA cools off for now.
American Airlines announcement of its intention to cancel its contract with Gogo because of slow speeds and intermittent service led to a hectic week or so of legal maneuvering. Now Gogo has agreed to AA's interpretation of the contract language and says that it will come up with a new proposal to fix any problems and move its service forward. The proposal would be based on an upgrade to the satellite modem used with its 2Ku and Ku satellite technologies to dramatically increase throughput to users on planes in the U.S.
While the contractual language allows American Airlines to use a different provider (ViaSat was mentioned in some reports), Gogo is hoping to hang on to its biggest client. Anand Chari, Gogo’s CTO said, “Gogo’s next generation modem is being built with a lot of room to spare so it will be ready to handle data delivered from next generation high throughput satellites and beyond...” and Gogo CEO Michael Small said that the company would send American Airlines its proposal by March 20.
Gogo claims their improved service speeds will ultimately be capable of 400 Mbps and this, Chari said: “...will allow our customers to seamlessly upgrade to the new Ku High Throughput Satellites (HTS) that have just started to be launched, and the massive-scale low earth orbit (LEO) constellations planned over the next decade.”
While the contractual language allows American Airlines to use a different provider (ViaSat was mentioned in some reports), Gogo is hoping to hang on to its biggest client. Anand Chari, Gogo’s CTO said, “Gogo’s next generation modem is being built with a lot of room to spare so it will be ready to handle data delivered from next generation high throughput satellites and beyond...” and Gogo CEO Michael Small said that the company would send American Airlines its proposal by March 20.
Gogo claims their improved service speeds will ultimately be capable of 400 Mbps and this, Chari said: “...will allow our customers to seamlessly upgrade to the new Ku High Throughput Satellites (HTS) that have just started to be launched, and the massive-scale low earth orbit (LEO) constellations planned over the next decade.”
What is 2.5 GHz spectrum worth?
In July 2013, Sprint Nextel became sole owner of Clearwire and Sprint Nextel completed the sale of the majority of its stock to the Japan-based SoftBank Corp. Fast forward 30 months and it looks like Sprint is shutting down the clearwire mobile wi-max service to empty out its 2.5 GHz spectrum. Is it possible that Sprint, still majority owned by Softbank, and seemingly unable to make a profit, is planning to put chunks of its 2.5 GHz spectrum up for sale to the ever increasing list of cash-rich companies that are looking to build out or create wireless distribution networks. (Verizon, AT&T, Google, Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Comcast, Charter, etc.). Sprint continues to cut costs (2,500 jobs were eliminated in January) but analysts expect yearly earnings to come in as a $1.5 billion loss.
In the 2015 FCC mid-band AWS auction, the demand for spectrum was great enough that the winning bids for paired 10 MHz spectrum averaged about $2.72/MHzPop with the biggest markets getting bids over $6/MHzPop. At this rate Sprint's 2.5 GHz spectrum could be worth somewhere north of $20 billion.
In any case, in the short-term the FCC hopes that the low-band spectrum to be auctioned in the Broadcast Incentive Auction beginning at the end of March will be acquired by companies intending to move into markets that currently have little competition (often dominated by Verizon and AT&T) . This low-band spectrum is suited for coverage, as it can handle irregular terrain and other line-of-sight blocks (e.g. walls) much better than higher frequency rf, but will be maxed out in the next couple of years if current rates of increase of user data usage hold up, Sprint 2.5 GHz may turn to gold. We shall see.
In the 2015 FCC mid-band AWS auction, the demand for spectrum was great enough that the winning bids for paired 10 MHz spectrum averaged about $2.72/MHzPop with the biggest markets getting bids over $6/MHzPop. At this rate Sprint's 2.5 GHz spectrum could be worth somewhere north of $20 billion.
In any case, in the short-term the FCC hopes that the low-band spectrum to be auctioned in the Broadcast Incentive Auction beginning at the end of March will be acquired by companies intending to move into markets that currently have little competition (often dominated by Verizon and AT&T) . This low-band spectrum is suited for coverage, as it can handle irregular terrain and other line-of-sight blocks (e.g. walls) much better than higher frequency rf, but will be maxed out in the next couple of years if current rates of increase of user data usage hold up, Sprint 2.5 GHz may turn to gold. We shall see.
AT&T plans television streaming service
AT&T has announced an internet-based streaming TV service under the DirecTV brand, that will not require a DirecTV service plan, set top box, or satellite dish. There will be three options: DirecTV Now, DirecTV Mobile, and DirecTV Preview, with the Now package similar to current Direct TV content, the Mobile available just to smartphones and a free Preview service. Pricing will be announced at launch later this year. Whether AT&T can put together deals with content providers like Disney and ESPN should be clear before the end of the year.
Speculation is that the service will be similar to Dish Network's SlingTV (where $20/month gets you 23 channels), but wannabe cable-cutters have yet to hear if there will be enough content to compete with content available on their cable contracts.
Speculation is that the service will be similar to Dish Network's SlingTV (where $20/month gets you 23 channels), but wannabe cable-cutters have yet to hear if there will be enough content to compete with content available on their cable contracts.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
ViaSat Moves across the Atlantic
In a February 9, 2016 press release Eutelsat Communications and ViaSat Inc.(NASDAQ: VSAT) announced an agreement to form a joint venture combining Eutelsat’s current European broadband business with ViaSat’s broadband and ISP expertise. Using a Eutelsat high capacity broadband satellite, the partnership will allow Eutelsat to expand its current wholesale broadband business into retail market ViaSat’s CEO, Mark Dankberg said: “...We complement each other extremely well...the joint venture combines an unprecedented collection of expertise in satellite operations and technology, broadband networks, and wholesale and retail distribution throughout Europe...”
Wholesale broadband services in the European and Mediterranean regions will be sold to the retail joint venture as well as to existing Eutelsat distributors. Eutelsat will contribute its current European broadband business using their KA-SAT satellite while ViaSat will provide broadband technology for KA-SAT gateways and terminals and will pay €132.5 million for a 49% interest in the business.
The retail joint venture (owned 51% by ViaSat) offer consumer ISP service in Europe .
Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat S.A. is a French-based provider of satellite services. Their satellites broadcast over 6,000 television and over 1000 radio stations and provide transmission for corporate networks, mobile communications, Internet backbone connectivity and broadband access. Eutelsat sells capacity on about 40 satellites located in geosynchronous orbit covering most populated areas on the planet.
Wholesale broadband services in the European and Mediterranean regions will be sold to the retail joint venture as well as to existing Eutelsat distributors. Eutelsat will contribute its current European broadband business using their KA-SAT satellite while ViaSat will provide broadband technology for KA-SAT gateways and terminals and will pay €132.5 million for a 49% interest in the business.
The retail joint venture (owned 51% by ViaSat) offer consumer ISP service in Europe .
Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat S.A. is a French-based provider of satellite services. Their satellites broadcast over 6,000 television and over 1000 radio stations and provide transmission for corporate networks, mobile communications, Internet backbone connectivity and broadband access. Eutelsat sells capacity on about 40 satellites located in geosynchronous orbit covering most populated areas on the planet.
Fifth time the charm?
SpaceX will make its fifth attempt to launch an SES-9 satellite on its Falcon 9 rocket on Friday Mar 4 after high-level winds were too strong on Tuesday. The first two were scrubbed because of problems with the superchilled liquid oxygen (the oxidizer that is mixed with kerosene fuel in the rocket motor). Superchilled liquid oxygen was first used in December.
Liquid oxygen (LOX), just below the boiling point of -297.3 deg F at sea level, is about 900 times more than dense than oxygen at room temperature, but the LOX tank must be insulated, have a venting process, and, to put this heavy a satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit with fuel left over to recover the first stage, be topped off just before launch. SpaceX is getting more LOX in the same tank by cooling it down to -340 degrees F which makes it about 10% more dense but trickier to keep cool. The first stage will try to land on a barge about 400 miles out in the Atlantic Ocean.
The satellite was built by Boeing for Luxembourg-based SES for use over east Asia and the Pacific for video, government and commercial communications.
Liquid oxygen (LOX), just below the boiling point of -297.3 deg F at sea level, is about 900 times more than dense than oxygen at room temperature, but the LOX tank must be insulated, have a venting process, and, to put this heavy a satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit with fuel left over to recover the first stage, be topped off just before launch. SpaceX is getting more LOX in the same tank by cooling it down to -340 degrees F which makes it about 10% more dense but trickier to keep cool. The first stage will try to land on a barge about 400 miles out in the Atlantic Ocean.
The satellite was built by Boeing for Luxembourg-based SES for use over east Asia and the Pacific for video, government and commercial communications.
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