UPDATE Representatives of French-based Eutelsat met separately with staffers for FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, Commissioner Brendan Carr and Commissioner Nathan Simington to discuss what the satellite representatives say are the public interest benefits of the proposed combination of Eutelsat and OneWeb. The all-share deal that values OneWeb at $3.4 billion was announced in July, Inside Towers reported. The transaction is now under Commission review.
The companies aim to combine Eutelsat’s geostationary satellite fleet with OneWeb’s low-earth orbit constellation to offer satellite-delivered broadband internet services. Eutelsat said in October that combining with OneWeb would nearly double its annual sales in five years to around $2 billion, according to Inside Towers.
In the FCC meeting, Eutelsat highlighted “growing customer demand for satellite services, including hybrid offerings that combine the cost-effective bandwidth of traditional geostationary satellite services with the performance of today’s low-latency constellations,” according to a meeting summary filed with the FCC by the satellite firm. It says the proposed deal will create a stronger competitor that is better positioned to meet those demands.
Eutelsat also urged the agency to issue its framework for satellite operators to certify their completion of Phase II of the C-band repack quickly. Eutelsat is worried about “the profound risk” of harmful interference to incumbent satellite users posed by Verizon Wireless’s plan to begin using C-band in Phase II markets during the first calendar quarter of 2023. “Terrestrial transmissions anywhere in the 3.7-4.2 GHz band will cause harmful interference over a large area to all earth stations that are not protected by the necessary filter,” the satellite firm says.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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