The Satellite Users Interference Reduction Group (SUIRG) has filed a position paper with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opposing a recent petition for allowing terrestrial services in the Ku-band. In its petition, the Utilities Telecom Council (UTC) requested that the FCC allow terrestrial fixed services to operate in the crucial 14.0-14.5 GHz band.

"Such an action would cause a significant increase in the number of interference incidents that the satellite industry will have to address," said SUIRG President Robert Ames. "The negative impact to fixed and mobile satellite-based services would be catastrophic."

The filing by UTC specifically requests that the FCC commence proceedings to establish rules to permit shared, secondary terrestrial fixed service use of the 14.0-14.5 GHz band by fixed point-to-point, point to multipoint, and temporary fixed stations and for critical infrastructure industry communications.

"The Ku-band is critical for VSATs, SNG (satellite newsgathering) and mobile satellite services," continued Ames. "The UTC has failed to show compellingly that the proposed operations will not cause unacceptable interference to the incumbent satellite services operating in that frequency."

Ames went on to say: "The UTC provides a flawed analysis suggesting that millions of UTC terminals can be operated without a problem. However, previous C-Band testing and analysis conducted within the satellite industry indicates that such use will cause unacceptable levels of interference into GSO (Geosynchronous orbit) FSS (Fixed Satellite Service) operations.

"Furthermore such use will expose the UTC terminals to interference that will be incompatible with the critical nature of the services that are intended in the proposed new secondary terrestrial allocation."

SUIRG, a non-profit association comprised of both private and public sector satellite organizations, with the assistance of several satellite serviced providers and equipment manufacturers, has conducted several field tests addressing the growing WiMAX debate over shared spectrum with terrestrial services.

Analysis conducted to date the C-Band has conclusively indicated that sharing of the spectrum would cause unacceptable levels of interference.