USSI Global Helps SES Successfully Complete

December 6, 2021

 USSI Global has supported SES in successfully completing all Phase I accelerated C-band clearing and relocation activities.

SES is seeking to clear 280 MHz of the C-band spectrum to help meet the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) objective to quickly roll out 5G services across the United States. Phase I required SES to relocate all of its existing services that are received by Incumbent Earth Stations out of the 3700-3820 MHz band. USSI Global made the necessary equipment changes on all associated Incumbent Earth Stations.

SES selected USSI Global as the primary vendor to help manage and execute the transition of Incumbent Earth Station filtering to mitigate risks of 5G interference. USSI Global served as the lead project management firm and was responsible for outreach, IT systems integration, field support management and status reporting. The initial outreach phase was especially valuable, requiring intensive advance research to gather and ascertain site-specific details of the Incumbent Earth Stations. USSI Global field technicians later provided turnkey systems design, procurement, installation and commissioning of 5G filters and antennas, among other key hardware components.

To meet the FCC’s ambitious Phase I accelerated relocation deadline of Dec. 5, 2021, SES established a goal of clearing greater than 700 Phase I sites by Aug. 31, 2021. USSI Global helped SES successfully meet that goal by supporting approximately 600 Phase 1 Incumbent Earth Station site transitions. The FCC validated SES’s Phase I certification on Nov. 24, 2021. By meeting this critical deadline, USSI Global ensured SES was eligible for the first accelerated relocation payment.

USSI Global’s more than 35-year history of experience supporting broadcast, network and digital signage services uniquely positions the company as a turnkey service provider for challenging, mandate-driven transitions such as the FCC’s C-Band spectrum transition. The company also provides customized post-installation and commissioning managed services, including preventative maintenance and remote monitoring, allowing customers to focus on their business.

“This was an unprecedented endeavor that was conceived prior to the pandemic yet executed during its apex,” said Anthony Morelli, COO, USSI Global. “USSI Global has an extensive history of developing customized customer solutions to yield effective results no matter what challenges arise. Our dedicated team worked closely and diligently with our partners at SES to adapt to a very challenging environment and achieve our shared goals, with flawless execution overseen by USSI Global’s field service leadership.”

“USSI Global has extensive experience, which made our partnership for this project a natural fit,” said Bronnie Fisher Fiely, Program Management Director, SES. “As a core part of their service plan for this project, USSI Global has accomplished a truly superior outreach effort for Phase I and is already hard at work on Phase II.” 

USSI Global has already supported the clearing of more than 100 Phase II sites, and will continue to support SES through the remainder of Phase II clearing and transition activities. 

“As the primary vendor supporting SES, there was a tremendous level of work that had to be completed under tight deadlines,” said Dave Christiano, CEO, USSI Global. “The USSI Global team’s exceptional work went a long way toward ensuring a successful transition for SES, and we are particularly proud of our technicians and field service engineers that implemented the work. We thank SES for trusting USSI Global to get the job done.”