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.

The outlook for global satellite industry revenue is expected to improve this year, Credit Suisse analysts said in a report (http://bit.ly/1iy6vml). Last year, the industry was affected by Department of Defense spending cuts, launch delays and Africa and Middle East oversupply, the analysts said. The analysts “expect U.S. budgetary pressure to ease over 2014 while we continue to expect overall global capacity demand to exceed global supply from 2015,” they said. Direct-to-home capacity freed up by higher compression techniques and a reduction in time-shifted standard definition (SD) broadcasting “will be redeployed to boosting SD picture quality and increasing HD/4K channels as the cost of 4K TV sets falls.” High throughput constellations from Inmarsat, O3b Networks, Intelsat and Iridium will drive accelerating data demand, they said. “Just as in the terrestrial (wireline and mobile) world of developed markets, we expect demand for high-speed data to accelerate in the global satellite industry.”

Washington phone companies returned $348,000 to customers last year stemming from complaints filed with the state’s Utilities and Transportation Commission, said the UTC. The refunds and bill credits were the largest dollar amount for any sector regulated by the agency, said its annual analysis of complaints, which was released Thursday (http://1.usa.gov/1g7hP6C). Phone companies were second, after electricity and natural gas companies, in generating the highest number of complaints.

Iridium unveiled its portable satellite hotspot that enables voice and data communications on smartphones and tablets anywhere in the world. The product, Iridium GO!, “creates a satellite-backed Wi-Fi zone anywhere on the planet,” enabling up to five smartphones to make calls, get email, text and use some apps, “even when terrestrial networks are non-existent, unreliable or costly,” Iridium said in a press release (http://bit.ly/1g2coGi). It allows users to use their own trusted devices even when they are off the cellular grid without the need for a satellite phone, Iridium said. The company is licensing the capability to allow app developers to utilize the Iridium satellite network through Iridium GO! “to tailor their products to meet the needs of organizations or individuals, and extend the capabilities of the product even further,” it said.

Intelsat reiterated its support for increasing earth station fees to better capture the work done by full-time employees on behalf of FCC International Bureau licensees. The company continued urging the commission to consider collecting regulatory fees from non-U.S. licensed satellite operators with U.S. market access, it said in an ex parte filing in dockets 13-140, 12-201 and 08-65 (http://bit.ly/1aonWFz). Last year, two-thirds of the work conducted by the bureau on behalf of applicants filing for new satellites benefited non-U.S. licensed satellite operators, it said. “Yet, U.S. satellite licensees were the ones who paid the agency’s costs associated with the work done for the benefit of those non-U.S.-licensed operators.” The filing recounts a meeting last week with staff members from the Office of Managing Director and from the Enforcement and International bureaus.

Gilat and Thaicom launched an integrated solution using Gilat’s SkyEdge II-c very small aperture terminal satellite ground equipment and Thaicom’s Ipstar satellite. The service will enhance broadband connectivity across the Asia-Pacific region, Gilat said in a press release (http://bit.ly/1fGT3LU). The companies plan to do seminars in Jakarta, Indonesia, “where they will demonstrate how the service greatly improves Internet connectivity in the region,” Gilat said.

Globecomm extended its contract with Avanti to deploy satellite broadband services to thousands of businesses in South Africa. Ka-band connectivity will be available through capacity on the Hylas 2 satellite, Globecomm said in a news release (http://bit.ly/1nwTBbs). “The partnership will be based on the Hughes platform and will extend beyond South Africa later this year.”