O3b is no longer seeking FCC OK for the low earth orbit component of its proposed medium earth orbit constellation. In an FCC Space Bureau application posted Monday, the company said it's modifying its pending U.S. market access application and eliminating the LEO component. Since the LEO satellites were proposed for satellite-to-satellite communications, it is no longer seeking satellite-to-satellite authority.

Between Intelsat's end-user direct relationships and its OneWeb low earth orbit (LEO) partnership and SES' geostationary and medium earth orbit (MEO) assets, SES' proposed $3.1 billion purchase of Intelsat (see 2404300048) gives it more mobility competition options, Valour Consultancy Senior Analyst David Whelan emailed us Wednesday. The high level of synergy between SES and Intelsat makes the deal unsurprising, Whelan said. "It creates a new entity with multi-orbit capabilities and a vendor that becomes a one-stop-shop for Ku- or Ka-band solutions," he said. The deal gives SES direct access to aviation customers -- something it had little of outside of government, he said. SES will likely not want to disrupt the status quo in terms of Intelsat’s current customer base and will look to augment Ku-band service with its own satellites, he said. Between SES' Skala service, its O3b MEO constellation and Intelsat's Flex, New SES will be supplying connectivity to more than 12,000 maritime vessels globally, "so already a strong player," he said. The deal might not help it much in landing new customers, as LEO-only is increasingly the preferred option, he said.

SES' O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit constellation should start commercial service in Q2, with the launch of the fifth and sixth satellites in the constellation expected to be this month, SES said Tuesday as it announced Q3 financial results. It said it's taking steps to mitigate power module problems that have affected already-launched mPOWERs, but operational life and available capacity on the initial mPOWERs, while "significantly lower" than had been expected, shouldn't hinder the constellations' ability to serve current or future mPOWER customers. SES also said it plans to upgrade satellites 7-11 and add two more to the constellation. The company said it received its $3 billion C-band second-phase accelerated relocation payment in October.

Intelsat and SES are talking about combining, as a key area of business for both -- maritime connectivity -- will soon face new low earth orbit (LEO) competitors. Competition and antitrust issues could be a big hurdle for any deal to clear. SES confirmed this week it's in talks with Intelsat about a possible deal.

Critics of O3b's pending market access grant, which would add 70 satellites to its 20-satellite medium earth orbit system, were unbowed by the company's arguments that most of their appraisals were off base (see 2207080003), per FCC International Bureau filings Tuesday. Amazon repeated its case that the FCC clarify how its rules apply to phased systems, including the interference protection those systems receive, and ensure that at minimum any expanded non-geostationary orbit system with earlier processing round status doesn't significantly increase the potential for interference. Viasat said rather than just demonstrate it meets the agency's orbital safety guidelines, O3b should need to show that grant of its application would serve the public interest such as by addressing additional sources of risk like aggregate collision risk. With O3b now asking the FCC to hold in abeyance the part of its application seeking inter-satellite links in the 19.4-19.6 GHz band, Iridium said its opposition to that part of the application need not be considered. It said O3b questioning whether the proposed links could interfere with Iridium's co-channel feeder links didn't take into account the potential for aggregate interference. OneWeb, backing O3b, said the argument by Amazon's Kuiper that since O3b wants to add satellites, the constellation should move from the 2016 processing round to the 2020 one "is contrary to Commission precedent and common sense." Systems authorized in a processing round "logically require a means by which to modify their system without forfeiting their protections; and the Commission’s rules and precedent afford them exactly that," it said.

O3b's pending modification of its market access grant, which would add 70 satellites to its 20-satellite medium earth orbit system (see 2005270010), raised some concerns from other satcom operators, in FCC International Bureau filings this week. O3b's expansion plans are relatively modest compared with mega constellations, but the FCC should still "take a hard look at the orbital safety implications" of its proposal, Viasat said. It said the agency should obtain information on aggregate collision risk associated with the expanded system and the increased risk of collisions due to the changes in orbital parameters over time. Viasat also said the agency should ensure the larger system continues to protect geostationary orbit systems. Amazon's Kuiper said the increased number of satellites means the modified market access grant should be treated as newly filed as part of the 2020 processing round, and subject to the same conditions as other 2020 processing round licensees, including having to protect prior-round systems. Iridium urged denial of the part of the Ob3 application on intersatellite links in the 19.4-19.6 GHz band, since it's not clear from O3b's application whether such non-conforming operations would interfere with Iridium's primary operations in the band. O3b asked that the links portion of its application be held in abeyance to allow discussion of Iridium's concerns in light of the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference's Agenda Item 1.17, dealing with intersatellite links.

This year offers "significant opportunities" for SES, including its first $1 billion in incentive payments from C-band repurposing (see 2102250046), CEO Steve Collar said Thursday as the company announced results. He said the SES-17 high-throughput satellite and O3b mPower medium earth orbit constellation have an increasing backlog of $740 million, before launch in the second half of 2021. SES-17 and mPower should bring "sustained profitable revenue" starting in 2023, he said. Collar said C-band clearing is on track to meet the company's December 2021 and December 2023 deadlines. SES said its SES-18, -19, -20 and -21 satellites are on track for launch in the second half of 2022 as part of the C-band clearing. SES said its $2.29 billion in revenue in 2020 is down from $2.43 billion the previous year.

Non-geostationary orbit constellation operators put proposals for more than 80,000 satellites before the FCC International Bureau, in NGSO fixed satellite service processing round applications submitted Tuesday (see 2003240059). It was driven by OneWeb, Kuiper and New Spectrum Satellite applications outside past rounds. The vast bulk of the proposed additional satellite traffic came from SpaceX and OneWeb. Numerous applications noted satellite's role in closing the digital divide.

Industry opposed requests to delay an FCC Rural Digital Opportunity Fund broadband subsidy program Phase I auction, in comments posted through Monday in docket 20-34 (see 2003270066). "Move ahead with the RDOF auction this year so that funding can be awarded to rapidly close the digital divide," USTelecom said, noting the California Public Utilities Commission argued for a delay. Telecom providers are challenged to keep networks in service during the pandemic, but "this is not an adequate reason for the Commission to delay an auction that is not due to start until October," USTelecom said: "This crisis has shown how important it is for all Americans to have access" to broadband. AT&T echoed earlier commenter skepticism for allowing unproven technologies to seek RDOF support. The company cited consensus on being "wary of short form applicants lacking two years of operational experience" and intending to rely on new low earth orbit satellite technology. NTCA wants the FCC to "reject proposals to reorient the weighting framework to favor certain lower-performing technologies that are inconsistent with the goals of the auction and that pose the risk of substantially complicating the RDOF auction." Rules should prohibit providers from using USF support to subsidize non-U.S. endeavors, GeoLinks said. "Despite these commenters’ attempts to disparage SpaceX’s network, SpaceX has now launched and operates the largest satellite constellation in the world and will soon be offering service to customers in the United States who have for too long been left behind by legacy networks," the company said. Don't "stifle broadband deployment by barring broadband service providers from using satellite technologies that can support latency-sensitive broadband services," such as medium earth orbit satellites, SES and affiliate O3b said. "Avoid making definitive conclusions about bidders or technologies prior to the short-form application process," Viasat said.

Industry opposed requests to delay an FCC Rural Digital Opportunity Fund broadband subsidy program Phase I auction, in comments posted through Monday in docket 20-34 (see 2003270066). "Move ahead with the RDOF auction this year so that funding can be awarded to rapidly close the digital divide," USTelecom said, noting the California Public Utilities Commission argued for a delay. Telecom providers are challenged to keep networks in service during the pandemic, but "this is not an adequate reason for the Commission to delay an auction that is not due to start until October," USTelecom said: "This crisis has shown how important it is for all Americans to have access" to broadband. AT&T echoed earlier commenter skepticism for allowing unproven technologies to seek RDOF support. The company cited consensus on being "wary of short form applicants lacking two years of operational experience" and intending to rely on new low earth orbit satellite technology. NTCA wants the FCC to "reject proposals to reorient the weighting framework to favor certain lower-performing technologies that are inconsistent with the goals of the auction and that pose the risk of substantially complicating the RDOF auction." Rules should prohibit providers from using USF support to subsidize non-U.S. endeavors, GeoLinks said. "Despite these commenters’ attempts to disparage SpaceX’s network, SpaceX has now launched and operates the largest satellite constellation in the world and will soon be offering service to customers in the United States who have for too long been left behind by legacy networks," the company said. Don't "stifle broadband deployment by barring broadband service providers from using satellite technologies that can support latency-sensitive broadband services," such as medium earth orbit satellites, SES and affiliate O3b said. "Avoid making definitive conclusions about bidders or technologies prior to the short-form application process," Viasat said.