ViaSat requested access to the U.S. market using a proposed Ka-band satellite, ViaSat-KA 8W, the FCC International Bureau said in a public notice (http://bit.ly/1o0W6zY). ViaSat plans to operate the satellite under the authority of the U.K. at 88.9 degrees west, it said. The company wants U.S. market access to provide fixed satellite service using 18.3-19.3 GHz, 19.7-20.2 GHz, 28.1-29.1 GHz and 29.5-30.0 GHz, it said. In respect to a separate filing, the public notice said Sirius XM requested a 180-day special temporary authority to perform telemetry, tracking and command operations necessary to drift its XM-2 satellite from 115 degrees west to 27 degrees west. Sirius XM also requested a waiver of FCC rules to permit XM-2 to be maintained at 27 degrees west with a +/-0.1 degree east-west stationkeeping tolerance, it said.

Globalstar urged the FCC to adopt a proposal to increase power limits for indoor unlicensed national information infrastructure (U-NII) devices by 500 percent. The commission also can expand the U-NII-3 band by 25 MHz and consolidate all U-NII-3 equipment authorizations for digitally modulated devices under the U-NII rules, Globalstar said in an ex parte filing in docket 13-49 (http://bit.ly/1myjxFs). If millions of outdoor U-NII-1 access points were permitted to operate throughout the U.S., “it would be virtually impossible to repair the harm to Globalstar and those who rely on its licensed services,” Globalstar said. The filing recounted a phone conversation Feb. 18 between Globalstar attorney Regina Keeney and staff from Chairman Tom Wheeler’s office. Globalstar and NCTA, after being at odds on access to spectrum cable and other non-satellite communications companies want for Wi-Fi, had been talking about reaching a solution (CD Feb 19 p16).

Intelsat reported Q4 2013 revenue of $642.8 million, which is down from $672.3 million in the same period in 2012. Intelsat reported revenue of $2.603 billion for the whole year, which is slightly down from $2.610 billion in 2012, it said in a press release (http://bit.ly/1mf9kdr). The company’s revenue growth continues to be affected by reduced U.S. government spending and the oversupply environment in Africa, “which affects pricing within network services applications in that region,” it said. Those factors will likely persist this year, “resulting in overall reduced revenues for the full year compared to 2013,” it said. At $300 million, network services comprised 47 percent of Q4 2013 revenue, down 1 percent from the same period in 2012, it said. Revenue from media declined 3 percent to $218 million, it said. Government revenue also decreased in Q4 2013 by 14 percent to $116 million. Satellite-related services reported an aggregate decline of $7.5 million, “primarily due to decreased revenue from government professional services and flight operations support or third party satellites,” Intelsat said.

The FCC International Bureau seeks comment on a rulemaking allowing Globalstar to deploy a low-power terrestrial broadband network. Comments are due May 5, with replies due June 4, the bureau said in a Federal Register notice (http://1.usa.gov/1bmzZDX). The FCC released the NPRM last year (CD Nov 5 p5).

Global Eagle Entertainment and Air China signed an agreement to trial Global Eagle’s high-speed, Ku-band satellite-based connectivity service. The trial will let Air China passengers access the Internet and stored content on approved handheld devices, Global Eagle said in a news release Tuesday (http://bit.ly/1gRKv5b). Global Eagle will provide its connectivity solution and support for aeronautical certifications, training and program management, it said. The trial will begin this year, it said.

The FCC International Bureau granted LightSquared’s application to extend the license term of the MSAT-2 satellite until Dec. 31. Located at 103.3 degrees west, MSAT-2 provides service in the bands 1530-1544 MHz, 1545-1559 MHz, 1631.5-1645.5 MHz and 1646.5-1660.5 MHz, the bureau’s Satellite Division said in a public notice (http://bit.ly/1ghyBBZ).

Intelsat requested a 30-day special temporary authority beginning Feb. 18, to drift Galaxy 26 from 50 degrees east to 49.9 degrees east. At 49.9 degrees east, the satellite will continue to operate in the C- and Ku- bands, it said in its application to the FCC International Bureau (http://bit.ly/1bsrQhB). Intelsat also requested a 30-day STA beginning March 13, to use its Castle Rock, Colo., Ku-band earth station “to provide launch and early orbit phase services for the Amazonas-4A satellite” that’s expected to launch that date, it said (http://bit.ly/1jbxbc7).

The FCC International Bureau seeks comment on the impact of the privatization of Inmarsat and Intelsat on the satellite communications market. The comments will be reflected in the commission’s annual report to Congress as part of the requirements of the Open-Market Reorganization for the Betterment of International Telecommunications Act, the bureau said in a public notice (http://bit.ly/McRDOX). Initial comments are due March 12, replies March 27, it said.

Lockheed Martin reiterated its support for giving federal earth stations co-primary status in the commercial satellite bands. That status should be provided by amending the Table of Frequency Allocations to allow such use by “earth stations only,” it said in an ex parte filing in docket 13-115 (http://bit.ly/1h8q5IH). This approach will allow both non-federal and federal earth station users “to understand spectrum availability at a glance, with each having access to the band on equal terms,” it said. Lockheed also again said the FCC’s current procedures for experimental special temporary authority have worked quite well for the industry. Keeping control of critical launch frequencies with federal frequency coordinators “will continue to promote reliability and certainty of access for all types of launch service,” it said.

Iridium unveiled Iridium Burst, a global data broadcast service that will allow companies, government agencies, militaries and other entities to send data to an unlimited number of devices anywhere on Earth, including inside buildings and vehicles or on aircraft. Iridium Burst, launched Monday, operates in Iridium’s licensed L band and uses spectrum that the company has used traditionally for its paging service, said Daniel Tillet, Iridium product line management director. “We realized there were more things that we could do with it that would make it even more valuable,” he said in an interview. It’s available as a pay-per-use service compatible with the Iridium 9602GDB receiver. Iridium offers a receiver the size of a matchbox that can be embedded in other companies’ products to use for Burst, he said. Some Iridium partners, such as NAL Research, are developing their own receivers to take advantage of Burst, he said. Satellite capabilities, like a global broadcast service, can play a major role in providing satellite services as an ancillary capability to terrestrial and other providers’ services, Tillet said. “Burst is a service that has been included in some of the things we've provided related to FirstNet,” he said, referring to the FCC’s proposed public safety network. Iridium also plans to establish Global Maritime Distress and Safety System services, he said. “Our intention is to incorporate Burst into the package of services that would be brought to bear to offer GMDSS.” NAL Research plans to offer the service to the U.S. military, said Ngoc Hoang, NAL Research president. “Our main application is to receive incoming messages anywhere on the globe,” he said. The major advantage from Burst is that it doesn’t give out a radio frequency signature, he said. “The hardware we developed has no transmitters at all and it’s truly a receive-only device.” With Burst, it’s very easy for potential users “to do due diligence and to evaluate whether it’s a solution for them because it’s a simple receive device and it’s a very easy service to send messages to,” Tillet said.