Loft Orbital hopes to launch its Yet Another Mission-5 microsatellite as soon as October into low earth orbit, it said in an FCC International Bureau application Monday. It said the YAM-5 payloads it would carry on behalf of Loft customers would include a longwave infrared computer, a sensing payload and an IoT payload operating in the S band.

Viasat's $7.3 billion buy of Inmarsat (see 2111080038) is being reviewed by the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the U.S. Telecommunications Services Sector, said a DOJ letter posted Monday to the FCC International Bureau. “The Commission will be notified when the Chair has determined that responses to the Committee’s initial request for information are complete and the 120-day initial review period can begin,” the letter said.

Lynk has signed commercial agreements with 11 mobile network operators around the globe, co-founders Margo Deckard and Tyghe Speidel told FCC International Bureau staffers, per a bureau filing last week. The company urged full grant of its satellite system application, which was filed in May 2021 under the agency's streamlined small satellite licensing process. Lynk said it hopes for an October launch of three of its satellites, with another launch of three in January and a third launch of three in April. The October satellites received experimental licenses in May.

While it has no objections to Skylo Technology's pending application for up to 1 million narrowband IoT mobile receivers (see 2105050003), Iridium Communications told the FCC International Bureau last week it's concerned about possible interference due to the multitudes of receivers operating in spectrum adjacent to that used by its satellites. It said it has started talks "to explore the extent of the interference potential posed by these adjacent band services."

The satellite industry generally agrees FCC rules about spectrum sharing among non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) fixed satellite service (FSS) should apply to operators in the same processing round, and that interference protection shouldn't sunset while operators are compliant with their license or grant conditions, Hughes representatives told International Bureau staff, per a docket 21-456 post Friday. It said good-faith coordination obligations should include information-sharing obligations. Hughes said information-sharing requirements for NGSO FSS operators should also apply to sharing with geostationary operators as a means of ensuring NGSOs don't interfere with GSO operations. It said since there's no consensus on the level of protection operators need from systems approved in later processing rounds, a more fulsome record is needed to establish that appropriate level.

Sony America created a new subsidiary, Sony Space Communications (SSC), that will develop optical communications devices aimed at connecting low earth orbit satellites via laser, said the company Thursday. "By providing easy-to-use inter-satellite communications capabilities, SSC aims to increase the amount of communications in space and realize an Internet communications network covering the earth, space, and applications such as real-time services," it said. SSC officially started operations Wednesday, headquartered in San Mateo, California, under the leadership of President Kyohei Iwamoto.

Dish Network has done nothing to address its lack of use of the 12 GHz band or comply with the terms of its multichannel video and data distribution service licenses, and the FCC Enforcement Bureau should wrap up any investigation it's doing into that, SpaceX said in docket 20-443 Thursday. SpaceX has repeatedly pushed the FCC to remove MVDDS encumbrances from the band (see 2205260055), "If Starlink is truly disappointed in the 12 GHz service for our current MVDDS licenses, then it should support making the spectrum usable for 5G service," Dish emailed. "Starlink's filing is just its latest attempt to distract the FCC from what is before it -- compelling and persuasive engineering studies demonstrating that 12 GHz can be used for 5G services without harmfully interfering with NGSO operations."

With regulatory approvals in Nigeria and Mozambique, SpaceX's Starlink system "is now licensed on all seven continents," SpaceX tweeted last week.

IoT satellite operator Astrocast plans to purchase IoT service provider Hiber, it announced Monday. Astrocast said the deal would expand its distribution strategy, speed up its original equipment manufacturing strategy with more development of satellite-enabled IoT devices, increase Astrocast's product portfolio and add coverage of Americas region through Hiber's access to L-band spectrum via an agreement with Inmarsat. It said Hiber's expertise in the oil and gas market will also help Astorcast gain further presence there. "Hiber is recognised as a powerful IoT scale-up within the market" and its "focus on satellite-enabled IoT solutions, innovation and production aligns with Astrocast’s strategic go-to-market priorities for 2022 and beyond," said Astrocast CEO Fabien Jordan. Under the deal's terms, Astrocast will acquire all Hiber shares in exchange for new Astrocast shares, while Hiber's shareholders also will invest $11.2 million in Astrocast's forthcoming public offering.

Turion Space's Droid.001 satellite, expected to launch in April, will be the first in a planned constellation for monitoring and deorbiting space debris and servicing other satellites, Turion said in an FCC International Bureau application Friday seeking OK for the satellite's launch and operation. Turion said Droid.001 will house a sensor only for imaging space objects.