FCC
Grants U.S. Market
Access to Telesat
for Its Global, Low
Earth Orbit (LEO)
Satellite
Constellation –
Start of Telesat LEO
Service Planned for
2021
November
7, 2017
Last week the
U.S. Federal
Communications
Commission (FCC)
took bold action
toward improving the
availability of cost
effective,
fiber-like
connectivity, both
in the U.S. and
worldwide. In a
significant ruling,
the FCC granted
Telesat’s petition
to access the U.S.
market using
Telesat’s soon to be
deployed global LEO
satellite
constellation.
Telesat has
obtained worldwide
rights to the use of
approximately 4 GHz
of Ka-band spectrum
for its LEO system,
which is ideal for
high-performing
broadband satellite
networks. Telesat
has a long record of
industry firsts that
have brought major
satellite
innovations to
market and the
company’s LEO
constellation will
be another
achievement that
transforms global
communications.
Telesat’s LEO system
will both enable and
accelerate the
world’s digital
transformation by
providing
high-performing,
cost-effective,
fiber-like broadband
anywhere in the
world for business,
government and
individual users.
The initial
constellation will
consist of around
120 satellites by
2021 and Telesat is
evaluating options
to expand its system
beyond the initial
deployment. Telesat
is launching two
Phase 1 LEO
satellites later
this year.
“The FCC’s grant
of Telesat’s
application for U.S.
market access is an
important milestone
in our plan to
deploy an advanced,
high capacity, low
latency LEO
constellation,” said
Dan Goldberg,
President and CEO of
Telesat. “Telesat
applauds the FCC’s
ruling, which will
bring manifold
benefits to the U.S.
market including
improved access to
the Internet as well
as the potential to
enhance
opportunities for
U.S. workers and
consumers, U.S.
industry and the
U.S. technology
base. Next
generation LEO
satellite
constellations have
great promise for
erasing the digital
divide and Telesat
encourages the FCC,
as it reviews its
spectrum allocation
policies, to ensure
that satellite
operators have
sufficient access to
the spectrum
necessary to deliver
on that promise.”
