FAQ

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.

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.

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.

• “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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

• 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

• 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