SkyTerra Requests Stimulus Funds to Develop New Service

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SkyTerra, a leading North American developer and supplier of mobile satellite services (MSS) confirmed this week it has filed for Broadband Stimulus funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

SkyTerra holds licenses for approximately 30 MHz of frequencies in the 1.5-1.6 GHz band and is working to use that spectrum to provide seamless wireless services using satellites and a patented ancillary terrestrial component (ATC).

In its filing SkyTerra proposed the development of dual-mode broadband satellite and 700 MHz terrestrial devices for the public safety community. Motorola has expressed support for broadband stimulus filing, but it is not acting as a co-applicant nor has it been selected as a vendor to SkyTerra.

"Motorola believes such satellite access could be an important element to supplement terrestrial coverage, especially in rural areas where public safety broadband terrestrial build out may be less practical than in more populated areas," said Rick Neal, Motorola's vice president of business development,

Alexander H. Good, CEO of SkyTerra said that he was pleased with Motorola's support of the initiative.

For more information on the filing, see SkyTerra Intends to File for Broadband Stimulus Funds to Enable Dual-Mode Wireless Devices for Public Safety Use.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung
Contributor

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack. A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.