ntelsat Meets Important Deadline for Accelerated C-Band Exit

 A year after then-FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced the acceleration of the repurposing of C-band spectrum for 5G services, a satellite operator in the band has met a key metric toward leaving the band by December 5, according to Space News.

The publication obtained an internal memo from Intelsat that stated all C-band (3.7 GHz band) customers on the company’s satellites have been moved from the lower 120 megahertz. Filters will now be installed on ground antennas to eliminate interference between the satellites and the wireless communications users. 

The prize for leaving the C-band early is billions of dollars for satellite firms licensed for the spectrum. All five eligible satellite operators—Eutelsat, Intelsat, SES, Star One, and Telesat — elected for accelerated relocation, according to the FCC. Continue Reading