Case study
Intelsat
Customer Challenge
By the end of 2023, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) C-band spectrum transition will make room for 5G mobile services. To accomplish this, satellite companies are required to clear the lower 300MHz of the C-band’s 500MHz bandwidth and relocate TV, radio, and other services to the upper 200MHz of the spectrum. Intelsat, a leading satellite telecom network, had to meet an aggressive Phase I relocation schedule as mandated by the FCC.
USSI Global Solution
Intelsat selected USSI Global as one of its primary vendors to help manage and execute the transition across all phases. USSI Global field engineers and technicians were deployed across the country to install 5G bandpass filters and antennas at nearly 300 sites. Plus, new satellite IRDs (integrated receivers/decoders) were installed at select programmer affiliate sites to help implement compression technology upgrades required by Intelsat’s Transition Plan.
Benefits
- USSI Global contacted approximately 2,500 sites to inventory C-band antennas and identifiedthe necessary transition work
- All equipment procurement and logistics were handled by USSI Global’s programmanagement and logistics team
- Systems were delivered in alignment with transitional deadlines
- Intelsat had the confidence to leverage USSI Global’s entire portfolio of 5G interferencemitigation services
Collaborative Solution
According Tom McNamara, Intelsat’s Vice President of the C-Band Transition Program, the company was “extremely pleased” with the outcome of Phase 1, and the close collaboration with USSI Global was critical to the success of the Phase I accelerated relocation. USSI Global is also assisting Intelsat to execute a similar program management plan for Phase II of the transition, which began in January 2022 and will require the transitioning of more than 800 sites and antennas. The project is scheduled to be completed before the FCC’s March 2023 deadline.
