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FAQ

Latest updates

The C-band transition is underway—are you ready?

SES’s vendors (ATCi, Pacific Cable Products, Skyline Communications, USSI Global, and Viking Satcom) are contacting registered Incumbent Earth Stations about filter installation—please respond to them immediately to ensure you maintain uninterrupted service. If you receive services from an SES satellite and have not yet been contacted by SES or our vendor partners, please email [email protected].

Do Incumbent Earth Station operators need to do anything to participate in the transition?

Incumbent Earth Station operators should refer to the FCC's most recent list of Incumbent Earth Stations, which was last updated on April 4, 2022. If any of your information is incorrect, you must reach out to the FCC at [email protected] to get it corrected. All information about Incumbent Earth Stations needs to be 100% accurate to ensure the satellite operators can provide assistance most efficiently. 

What is the current status of the C-band transition?

SES has completed all Phase I transitions and submitted its certification to the FCC on October 1, 2021. The FCC accepted SES’s Phase I certification on November 24, 2021, and 5G services have begun to roll out in select areas of the contiguous US.
Phase II filtering has begun, in anticipation of the December 5, 2023, deadline for Phase II accelerated clearing.

What do cable operators need to know now?

SES and our vendors are continuing to visit Incumbent Earth Station sites to install new filters to address potential interference from 5G wireless services. We will be in your area soon. We may need to make multiple visits to your site. Respond to SES or our vendors promptly so we can schedule a site visit and resolve any issues. Reach out to us if you still are taking programming below 4GHz. Stay alert for satellite programming transition opportunities between September and the end of the year. Contact us with any questions at [email protected] or 609-987-4400.

5G, C-Band, and the United States

Why is 5G important, and how does C-band spectrum relate to 5G?

The next generation of mobile communications technology, 5G, has already begun to bring ultrafast, ground-breaking services to consumers and businesses and will be one of the most important drivers of innovation and economic growth over the next two decades, generating millions of new, high-paying jobs, and creating more efficient and effective businesses and public services.

In order for 5G to be deployed, U.S. wireless operators need access to the C-band, a band of spectrum currently used by satellite operators serving U.S. broadcasters and programmers to provide TV and radio to nearly 120 million American homes, as well as other critical data transmission services. Therefore, the FCC has worked with satellite operators to develop a plan to vacate a portion of this spectrum for use by 5G wireless operators while migrating current customers to a new solution.

What is the FCC’s plan for clearing C-band spectrum for 5G?

The FCC spent two years carefully developing a plan to clear 280 MHz of C-band spectrum for 5G mobile services (plus a 20-MHz guard band) in the contiguous United States (CONUS) and established accelerated clearing deadlines to ensure spectrum is cleared quickly. The transition is taking place over two phases to make C-band spectrum available for 5G mobile services by December 2023, and a portion of that spectrum already became available in certain markets starting in December 2021.

To deliver on the clearing milestones set out in the FCC’s Order, SES has procured and begun launching satellites to provide necessary capacity for our existing customers and is filtering tens of thousands of Earth Station antennas throughout the United States to prevent interference from new 5G services.

Transition Process

What is SES’s transition/implementation process?

SES’s transition plans filed with the FCC detail how SES is migrating existing services. Below is an overview of the general implementation process. Please review the most recent transition plan for more details.

Every Incumbent Earth Station that did not elect a lump sum payment has been or will be contacted by an outreach vendor (ATCi, Pacific Cable Products, Skyline, USSI Global, and Viking Satcom) to confirm general Earth Station information. To ensure a smooth and efficient transition with minimal service disruptions, SES asks that all Incumbent Earth Station operators respond as soon as they are contacted by SES contractors.

During our outreach to customers, we will also determine the equipment required for the transition (e.g., antenna equipment, filters) depending on the needs of the site in accordance with SES’s customer transitions. This includes a determination of whether the site requires a new antenna to access a satellite that the site does not currently access. It also includes a determination of the number of antennas at the site accessing SES satellites, which will define the number of Passband Filters that must be installed to minimize interference from 3.7-3.98 GHz Service emissions. All “Red” and “Blue” filters have been purchased by SES and shipped out to the Incumbent Earth Station or to the SES-hired installer. Please see the filter section below for more information on Red and Blue filters.

The SES-hired installation teams will call Incumbent Earth Station operators to schedule a window of time to install equipment, based on SES’s transition plan. Given their particular needs, we anticipate that remaining Multichannel Video Programming Distributors (MVPDs) will most likely be scheduled within the last 6 months of the Phase II clearing timeline. Most MVPDs will require access to several satellites and all programming transitions on those satellites will need to be moved above 4 GHz before any blue filters are installed. SES and Intelsat will coordinate the installation of filters at most MVPD sites to minimize the burden on the Incumbent Earth Station operator.

What are the accelerated clearing deadlines?
  • “Phase I Deadline” – (December 5, 2021): The lower 120 MHz of spectrum is cleared and filters distributed to allow terrestrial service in 46 of the top 50 PEAs (Partial Economic Area, similar to a metropolitan area) – Completed 
  • “Phase II Deadline” – (December 5, 2023): Full contiguous US (CONUS) clearing of the lower 300 MHz of spectrum for accelerated relocation payment
Has COVID-19 impaired SES’s ability to meet the accelerated clearing deadlines?

SES designed its clearing process to account for the challenges of the pandemic and does not anticipate delays in its continued efforts to meet the FCC deadlines. We are monitoring the effects of the pandemic on our suppliers and will provide an update to the FCC if there are any significant developments. If this affects our established schedules with customers, we will also contact those customers directly to reschedule. SES remains committed to meeting the clearing milestones set out by the FCC.

Is SES hiring American companies to support the C-band clearing and transition?

Yes. SES is investing in the U.S. economy by procuring from businesses across the U.S. the services and equipment needed for the C-band transition. SES has made substantial investments with U.S. companies in the transition process and will continue to do so. See our U.S. C-Band Transition Vendors information below.

Earth Station Operators

General

Can I continue receiving C-band services in the 3.7-4.0 GHz band after the December 5, 2023, deadline or accelerated clearing deadlines within CONUS at my own risk of interference from 3.7 GHz Services?

No. Regulations prohibit the transmission of C-band satellite services in the 3700-4000 MHz band for purpose of receipt within CONUS after the aforementioned deadlines.

How do I know if any of the services I receive in the C-band are moving?

For more details, please contact your programmer directly. Additionally, please refer to Appendix B and Appendix C of the SES transition plan.

How can an Earth Station operator confirm that its Earth Station is an Incumbent Earth Station?

An Earth Station operator should consult with the FCC to confirm if its Earth Station is an Incumbent Earth Station. The FCC most recently updated its Incumbent Earth Station list on April 4, 2022. An Earth Station operator can also contact the FCC directly to determine if its Earth Station(s) is/are Incumbent Earth Stations.

What are the benefits of being an Incumbent Earth Station?
  • Cost reimbursement: The FCC allows all reasonable and actual costs of transitioning an Incumbent Earth Station to be reimbursed through the Relocation Payment Clearinghouse. Unless an Incumbent Earth Station operator elected to take the lump sum, the satellite operators will be responsible for bearing all of the costs of transitioning an Earth Station.
  • Protection from 3.7-3.98 GHz Service interference: The FCC has defined technical rules for 3.7-3.98 GHz Service licensees that include maximum power flux density (PFD) levels at Incumbent Earth Station locations. The combination of passband filters and maximum PFD levels reduces the risk of harmful interference from 3.7-3.98 GHz Service emissions into Incumbent Earth Stations. The requirements are set out in Sections 27.50, 27.53, and 27.55 of Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
If you have someone come and install the filters, will that tech also repeak the dish?

SES recognizes that some Incumbent Earth Stations may have unique characteristics or requirements, including antiquated and obsolete facilities, and will require a customized approach to transition every associated site in a timely manner. When the installer visits the site, the installation technician will be equipped to address, if possible, a number of potential scenarios, including cases where a currently operating antenna receiving services from an SES satellite is not performing adequately when tested prior to any work that needs to be done, the inability to install a filter due to antenna mechanical issues, and antennas in hard-to-reach locations.

What if an Incumbent Earth Station Operator chooses to self-install?

SES anticipates that a number of Incumbent Earth Station operators will prefer to install equipment needed for the transition on their own at some or all of their sites. For such self-installations, SES requests the Incumbent Earth Station operator to notify SES in an email to [email protected] as soon as possible. SES may also contact these operators directly to confirm they will be self-installing.

The notice must specify if the Incumbent Earth Station operator plans to:

1. procure equipment on its own, and therefore will be seeking reimbursement directly through the Relocation Payment Clearinghouse rather than SES covering costs of the equipment.

OR

2. request SES-provided equipment and provide in the notice to SES a detailed list of the equipment that is required for each physical Incumbent Earth Station identified in the FCC’s Incumbent Earth Station list receiving service from an SES satellite. SES will review these details to determine the eligibility for reimbursement of the equipment prior to ordering and shipping to the Incumbent Earth Station operator’s location(s).

For Incumbent Earth Station operators choosing to self-install equipment, SES will provide the timeline within which the dual illumination of all the affected services will occur and when the equipment must be installed. Upon receipt of the necessary equipment by the Incumbent Earth Station operator, SES will then provide the Incumbent Earth Station operator remote assistance via SES’s help desk as needed to support the installation.

Important: The Incumbent Earth Station operator must provide SES with a certification confirming that all the equipment has been installed and tested on all its Incumbent Earth Stations receiving SES services, and no operational issues have been identified. If an Incumbent Earth Station operator informs SES that it intends to self-install but fails to provide a certification of completion for that Incumbent Earth Station in a timely manner, then it still will be considered successfully completed and designated as such in SES’s quarterly report to the FCC.

Earth Station Antenna Registration

What is happening to unregistered Earth Stations during the transition?

SES has agreed to voluntarily install filters, if possible, on unregistered antennas collocated with Incumbent Earth Stations receiving services from an SES satellite at the same time we install filters on those collocated registered antennas.

SES will not install filters on, or take any responsibility for transitioning, unregistered antennas that are not collocated with an Incumbent Earth Station pointed to an SES satellite.

If SES installs a filter on an unregistered antenna, does that change its standing with the FCC as an unregistered antenna?

SES’s decision to voluntarily install filters on unregistered antennas collocated with Incumbent Earth Stations receiving services from an SES satellite does not change the status of those unregistered antennas with respect to the FCC’s Incumbent Earth Station list and therefore, they will not be eligible for interference protection from future licensed terrestrial services, unless they received a waiver from the FCC making them eligible for such interference protection.

Lump Sum Election

What is the effect of an Incumbent Earth Station having elected a lump sum?

If an Incumbent Earth Station operator elected the lump sum payment, it is responsible for coordinating with the relevant space station operator as necessary and performing all relocation actions on its own, including switching to alternative transmission mechanisms such as fiber, and it will not receive further reimbursement for any costs exceeding the lump sum payment (except it will receive replacement IRDs necessitated by the transition). It must also coordinate with space station operators to avoid any disruption of video and radio programming.

Filters

Can I use any filter advertised as a “5G filter”?

These are not recommended for antennas pointed to SES satellites. Frequencies used outside of the CONUS for 5G deployments in the C-band may be different than those used in CONUS; therefore, the filter specifications may not be adequate for CONUS. SES is providing Passband Filters – built and tested to SES specifications and meeting FCC requirements – to all antennas at an Incumbent Earth Station location accessing SES satellites where the operator has not opted for the lump sum payment.

How will the filter installations work, what is SES’s responsibility and what is the Incumbent Earth Station operator’s responsibility?

For Incumbent Earth Stations that did not elect the lump sum option, an SES-hired installation team will call each Incumbent Earth Station operator to update its records on the site and schedule a time window to install equipment (if applicable), based on SES’s transition plan. SES will be responsible for providing the equipment required for the transition and will manage its installation vendors. The Incumbent Earth Station operator is responsible for facilitating the installation process by providing any information required and coordinating with SES’s installation vendors. It is imperative that Earth Station Operators respond as soon as they are contacted by SES contractors.

Incumbent Earth Station operators that elected lump sum payment are responsible for performing their own transition work.

Will SES pay for the filters?

SES is hiring contractors to identify sites needing filters. For Incumbent Earth Stations that did not elect the lump sum option, SES will pay for these filters and then be reimbursed by the Relocation Payment Clearinghouse.

Are the antennas and filters being provided for HITS customers regardless of opt-in/out of the lump sum reimbursement option?

If a HITS customer elects the FCC’s lump sum payment option, SES will not provide any equipment other than the IRDs.

How do I know what type of 5G filter will be installed on my equipment?

SES’s installer will let you know which specific filter they will install, a “Red” filter or a “Blue” filter. “Red” filters block the lower 120 MHz (3700 – 3820 MHz). “Blue” filters block the full lower 300 MHz (3700 – 4000 MHz). A description of the filter specifications is available here.

We currently have filters on all LNBs for ground-based radar interference from an Air Force base. Will the new 5G filters reject interference from radar as well?

Yes, the new filters will reject both 5G signals and ground-based radar interference. See here for information on the filters.

Who do we contact about antenna seeding? When do we need to have the antenna installed?

If your site is included on the FCC’s Incumbent Earth Station List and you did not take the Lump Sum, a SES installation vendor will reach out to you. If you want to check if your site is on the FCC’s list, please reach out to [email protected]. If you took the Lump Sum or your earth station does not appear on the FCC’s list, you will be responsible for purchasing and installing your own antenna.

How do I find out if any of the services I receive in the C-band are moving to a different satellite?

A full list of SES services in the C-band that are still moving to different satellites can be found below. For more details, please contact your programmer directly. Additionally, please refer to Appendix B and Appendix C of the SES transition plan for more information on all service transitions. Please note that the services and dates are subject to change with any updates provided here.

Remaining North America Video Service Transitions

 

Customer

Pre Transition Satellite

Pre Transition Transponder

Pre Transition Center Frequency
(MHz)

Pre Transition Bandwidth
(MHz)

Post Transition Satellite

Post Transition Transponder

Post Transition Center Frequency (MHz)

Post Transition Bandwidth
(MHz)

Transition Start

Transition End

A&E Television

AMC-11

12C

3940

36

AMC-11

20C

4100

36

06/01/2022

09/30/2022

Discovery

SES-11

11C

3920

36

SES-11

19C

4080

36

06/01/2022

10/31/2022

Hawaii Pacific Telecom

SES-3

12C

3925

6

SES-22

15C

4015

6

08/03/2022

09/30/2022

Comcast Cable

SES-3

12C

3943

30

SES-22

20C

4100

36

08/15/2022

12/31/2022

Comcast Cable

SES-3

14C

3990

6.7

SES-22

20C

4020

36

08/15/2022

12/31/2022

United Teleports

SES-1

08C

3860

36

SES-22

16C

4020

36

TBD

12/31/2022

iN Demand

SES-3

08C

3860

36

SES-22

17C

4040

36

09/06/2022

09/30/2022

iN Demand

SES-3

13C

3960

36

SES-22

19C

4080

36

09/06/2022

09/30/2022

Weigel

SES-1

12C

3930

8

SES-1

24C

4170

8

10/01/2022

12/31/2022

Weigel

SES-1

12C

3940

4

SES-1

24C

4180

4

10/01/2022

12/31/2022

Weigel

SES-1

12C

3944

4

SES-1

24C

4184

4

10/01/2022

12/31/2022

Weigel

SES-1

12C

3924

4

SES-1

24C

4164

4

10/01/2022

12/31/2022

Weigel

SES-1

12C

3936

4

SES-1

24C

4176

4

10/01/2022

12/31/2022

Weigel

SES-1

12C

3952

12

SES-1

24C

4192

12

10/01/2022

12/31/2022

Globecast / Olympusat

SES-1

10C

3900

36

SES-11

24C

4180

36

12/01/2022

02/28/2023

Globecast / Olympusat

SES-1

18C

4060

36

SES-11

24C

4180

36

12//01/2022

02/28/2023

NBC Universal

SES-1

09C

3880

36

SES-1

23C

4160

36

01/01/2023

05/31/2023

Viacom

SES-1

11C

3920

36

SES-1

21C

4120

36

01/01/2023

05/31/2023

MSGN

SES-3

09C

3880

36

SES-22

21C

4120

36

03/01/2023

05/31/2023

Epix

SES-1

07C

3840

36

SES-1

18C

4060

36

04/01/2023

05/31/2023

Radio Affiliates

SES has contracted well-known, reputable industry vendors to complete the installation work for those Incumbent Earth Stations that did not elect the FCC’s lump sum payment option. As per the most recent transition plan filed by SES with the FCC, SES has moved our radio affiliates on the satellite above 4 GHz. Therefore, radio affiliates taking radio services from SES satellites are now ready for the final filter installation (“Blue”).

  • If your radio station did not take the FCC’s lump sum payment option, then someone from SES or one of SES’s installation vendors will be calling you over the next few months. Please respond so we can schedule your site.
  • Our installation vendor will ask specific questions so that we will be able to assess the needs of your site and get results efficiently and effectively.
  • For more information and questions, please contact our help desk at [email protected] or call 609-987-4400.
Will SES provide a timeline for when they will move radio affiliates on the satellite?

As per our most recent transition plan filed with the FCC, SES has already moved all radio services on the satellite above 4 GHz.

SES Transition Vendors for all Earth Stations

What should I do if my station has not heard from anyone?

Contact the SES Helpline at 609-987-4400 or [email protected].

Who are SES’s transition vendors?
  • Antenna Technology Communications (ATCi): SES’s vendor for outreach, filter installation, and Incumbent Earth Station Transition Services for Simulsat antennas. www.atci.com | 1-480-308-4540
  • Skyline Communications: SES’s vendor for outreach, equipment installation, and Incumbent Earth Station Transition Services as well as Level 2 support. www.addsat.com | [email protected] | 1-317-535-1600
  • Pacific Cable Products: SES’s vendor for outreach, equipment installation, and Incumbent Earth Station Transition Services. [email protected] | 1-619-470-1900
  • USSI Global: SES’s vendor for outreach, filter installation, and Incumbent Earth Station Transition Services. www.ussiglobal.com | 1-800-444-8774
  • Viking Satcom: SES’s equipment vendor, which warehouses and ships the antennas, filters, and LNBs needed to ensure that operators continue to receive downlinks. www.vikingsatcom.com/5g-transition-and-viking-satcom/ | 1-517-629-3000