Hughes Network Systems lobbied the FCC to back its proposal for Connect America Fund Phase II recipients of USF money for broadband to meet a test that doesn't favor any platforms while ensuring the services have low latency. It would measure if the services “'offer sufficiently low latency to enable use of real-time applications, such as VoIP' while remaining consistent with the Commission’s commitment to technological neutrality," the satellite broadband provider said in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 10-90, referring to its March 27 proposal in that docket. During a lobbying meeting last week with Wireline Bureau front-office and other staff, a lawyer at Hughes parent EchoStar, which shares with Dish Network Charlie Ergen as chairman and a top shareholder, also asked the agency to "without delay" adopt Remote Areas Fund rules, the newer filing said. After telcos decide whether and how much CAF Phase II funds to get out of a total of up to $10 billion over six years, the FCC can award USF money to other companies (see 1504290066).
Correction: The number of volt-ampere-hours Hughes Network Systems recommends there be in modem backup batteries is 3000 (see 1505070054).
The sole technical characteristic of an appropriate battery backup for a Hughes modem is 3000 volt-ampere-hours, said Hughes Network Systems in an ex parte filing at the FCC. The FCC asked the company what would be the necessary characteristics of a uninterruptible power supply device that is capable of providing eight hours of backup power, Hughes said. Those battery backups are available at major consumer electronic stores, the ex parte letter said.
The FCC should adopt proposed rules to add 22 MHz to U.S. wireless broadband spectrum inventory and ease the congestion that's diminishing the quality of Wi-Fi service at high-traffic 802.11 hot spots and other locations, Globalstar said in an FCC filing posted Monday in docket 13-213. Globalstar also expressed support for the rules because they would let the company provide low-power terrestrial mobile broadband service in its own licensed and unlicensed spectrum, it said. Globalstar General Counsel Barbee Ponder and others met with officials including International Bureau Chief Mindel De La Torre and Office of Engineering and Technology Chief Julius Knapp. Others have been skeptical that the company's mobile broadband service is ready to be deployed because of concerns over interference (see 1504280038).
Samsung is using the SES Industry Days event in Luxembourg through Thursday to demonstrate the first DVB transmission of high-dynamic-range Ultra HD TV, using content transmitted via an SES satellite directly to a Samsung set using “hybrid gamma” HDR technology, the TV maker said Wednesday. The demo is a “major milestone for the Ultra HD broadcast chain,” Samsung said. It shows for the first time how industry can launch new HDR services over DVB, “which can fully exploit the capabilities of the next generation of consumer displays,” it said.
LightSquared hasn't pursued any "significant site development activity" related to a two-way terrestrial mobile service in recent months, it told the FCC in a commission-required update dated April 30 and posted in docket 08-184 Monday. It said the development pause is because of the agency's 2012 public notice recommending a waiver to the company be vacated and LightSquared's ancillary terrestrial component authority be put on hold. "LightSquared has focused its efforts on resolving the underlying spectrum and deployment issues identified by the Commission," it said, noting that in September 2012, it proposed ways to deploy terrestrial broadband service to ensure operations are compatible with GPS receivers. The company said Qualcomm has integrated L-band LTE technology in its chipset road map and "developed an advanced satellite air interface technology" for satellite mode operation of mobile devices. LightSquared last month sought FCC OK of foreign ownership, as it's exiting bankruptcy (see 1504160047).
Hughes Network Systems announced its portable BGAN terminal, the Hughes 9211-HDR, that instantly supports communications-on-the-move applications by docking to an active tracking antenna mounted to a vehicle, said the company in a news release Tuesday. The 9211-HDR combined portable/mobile satellite terminal can dock with a Class 10 or Class 11 mobile antenna to support BGAN communications on-the-move, it said. The terminal can connect at background IP speeds of up to 400+ kbps in both transmit and receive, Hughes said.
The FCC International Bureau granted EchoStar’s request to extend the term of its license for the EchoStar 6 satellite until Jan. 31, 2019. The satellite operates at 96.2 degrees west. “We conclude that grant of the requested license modification is consistent with our practices concerning granting extensions of license terms and will serve the public interest by continuing to facilitate possible development of new services to the Atlantic Ocean region,” the bureau said Tuesday. The license term expired Aug. 11, 2014, the bureau said. EchoStar sought an extension June 19, 2014.
Inmarsat launched its first vehicular antenna for the IsatPhone 2, the company said in a Thursday news release. Designed by AeroAntenna Technology, the external, vehicle-mounted, active antenna enables IsatPhone 2 users to have high quality, uninterrupted voice connectivity while on the move, the company said. The new antenna kit will be beneficial for organizations with teams traveling in remote locations, Inmarsat said.
Hughes Satellite revenue likely will rise by a mid- to high-single digit percentage in the next few years, driven by its satellite broadband segment, said Standard & Poor's Wednesday, raising the company's credit rating to BB- from B+. The rating might be cut if the satellite broadband business weakens over the next year, such as through increased customer churn or adding fewer subscribers.