SES’s Betzdorf headquarters in Luxembourg, shown here with its satellite antenna field.
TAMPA, Fla. — Satellite operators have welcomed the prospect of reaping more than $6 billion for quickly clearing upper C-band spectrum the FCC aims to auction next year, with billions more set to cover new geostationary spacecraft and other transition costs.
Luxembourg-based SES, by far the largest spectrum incumbent, is in line for about $5.6 billion if it can meet clearing deadlines in 2030 and 2031 so telcos can use the band for wireless services.
Eutelsat of France, which today also uses the frequencies to distribute TV services in the United States, would get $504 million for a smaller share, while Canada’s Telesat with the smallest has been earmarked $189 million.
The operators would need to move services to the remaining 40 megahertz of upper C-band, or other spectrum such as Ku-band, after lower C-band frequencies were sold in a 2020 auction that raised more than $80 billion from telcos such as Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.
