Background & The Challenge
Starting a new satellite business means finding an orbital location where no one else is already operating at the frequencies you need. In some markets this is a complex challenge. Futron helped one client address this challenge through a quantitative and qualitative analysis of orbital slots over the Americas.
The Journey & The Discovery
One of Futron’s long-standing subscribers to the FCCFilings.com service was a satellite equipment manufacturer considering ownership and operation of its own satellite. This company had relied on FCCFilings.com to target new products and services by understanding which of their own customers were planning new satellites, and to understand the technical, as well as business, characteristics of those plans. Now they wanted to enter the business themselves.
The client asked Futron to review the status of Ku-band and Ka-band licensing and operations across the orbital arc covering North America. The goal was to identify any locations that might be available for a new operator, and to understand the real nature of that availability.
The Solution & Implementation
Futron’s team of regulatory and market analysts leveraged the FCCFilings.com online database and expert knowledge of FCC and ITU satellite filings, as well as other internal databases of current and future satellites and launches to compile Microsoft Excel tables to analyze each orbital slot. The data tables, organized by orbital slot, included operational satellites; active, pre-operational FCC licenses at each location; pending applications before the FCC; and vacant locations. For each location or application Futron compiled the following data:
- Satellite name
- Frequency band(s) in operation, licensed or proposed
- Operator, licensee or applicant name
- Expected launch date or expected date of satellite’s arrival at location, including FCC and ITU launch/operation milestones for those not yet launched
- Licensing administration for the satellite
- For pending applications, licensing administration with highest ITU date priority for the location, date when ITU date priority is expected to expire, and administration next in line
Using this database, Futron developed a summary of the status and nature of the available orbital slots – those not already in use or reserved - in the form of a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation for use by the client in its management discussions. This summary highlighted the potentially viable locations and the challenges associated with each.
The Results
Futron’s regulatory assessment provided the customer with a comprehensive tool for business planning and market positioning. The final product and recommendations contributed greatly to the company’s overall decision-making, enabling them make a realistic and fact-based evaluation of the costs and opportunities of entering this market.