Analysis: Delivering the 5G windfall

he C-band Alliance (CBA) is a grouping of the world’s four largest satellite operators comprising Intelsat, SES, Eutelsat and Telesat of Canada. Together they control 100% of the C-band satellite spectrum over the US.

The Alliance, along with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), are looking to see 200 MHz of that bandwidth reallocated to help boost the speedy take-up of 5G over the US.

The CBA wants to sell off this spectrum, and the FCC will rule on how this is to be achieved by “mid 2019”.

If the plan goes ahead, the CBA will fund the total re-alignment of around 25,000 large dishes installed at cable head-ends and network broadcasters in the US. These important clients will be reallocated new satellite frequencies over the next 18-36 months. The National Association of Broadcasters says that virtually every TV and radio household in America depends on C-band. The cost for this major reallocation exercise is placed at around $2 billion.

The CBA wants a ‘market based’ sell-off, with the potential buyers drawn from the USA’s wireless telcos, most of whom admit they badly need the spectrum. The FCC is uncompromising, with its chairman Ajit Pai saying in October “we’re exploring how to repurpose mid-band [C-band] spectrum for new wireless applications, from rural broadband coverage to the next generation of Wi-Fi.”

The Alliance’s ideal sell-off pattern is a series of…