Attachment Ex Parte

Ex Parte

Ex PARTE PRESENTATION NOTIFICATION LETTER submitted by MSV

Ex Parte

2007-11-30

This document pretains to SES-MFS-20071107-01535 for Modification w/ Foreign Satellite (earth station) on a Satellite Earth Station filing.

IBFS_SESMFS2007110701535_609894

                                     RECEIVED                                    s« .           «.ORIGINAL
       MSV                             NOV 2 7 2006                                     ferii
Mobile Satellte Ventures i>
                                       Sateite Diston
                                     IntornationalBureau
                                             November 22, 2006
      Via Hand Delivery                                                 FILED/ACCEPTED
      Ms. Marlene H. Dortch
      Srroms                                                                Nov 22 2006
      Federal Communications Commission                                FodenlConmnestrs Commsoen
      445 12th Strees, S.W.                                                 sufiey
      Washington, D.C. 20554

      Re:      Pending Applications to Operate with an Uncoordinated Inmarsat Satellite
               File Numbers Attached as Exhibit A
      Dear Ms. Dortch:

             To date,the Intemational Bureau ("Bureau") has granted Special Temporary Authority
     ("STA") for the operation of30,000 Broadband Global Area Network ("BGAN®) terminals in
     the United States." Mobile Satellite Ventures Subsidiary LLC (MSV") has opposed the grant of
     applications to operate BGAN terminals due to the potential that their use on uncoordinated
     Inmarsatsatelltes will cause harmful interference to MSV‘s licensed operations." Recently, it
     has come to light hat Inmarsat has onl5,547 BGAN subscribers worldwide, the vast majority
     of which presumably operate outside the United States," This new information helps to
     demonstrate that: () any absence of interference from BGAN operations to date demonstrates
     nothing regarding the potentialinterference that will resultif more and more BGAN terminals
     are operated in the future; and (i) Inmarsatand its distributors have greatly exaggerated the
     demand for the BGAN service.

             Since grant of the BGAN $TAs, Inmarsat and itsdistributors have contended that BGAN
     service has been provided in the United States without interference.". Inmarsat and its
     distributors, however, have never revealed how many of the 30,000 BGAN terminals authorized

      ! See, eg., Stratos Communications, Ic., Request for Special Temporary Authority, File No.
     SES—STA—20060310—00419 (filed March 10, 2006; granted with conditions on May 12, 2006)
     * See, eg., Mobile Satellite Ventures Subsidiary LLC, Petition to Hold in Abeyance, File No.
     SES—LRS—20060303—00343, File No. SES—AMD—200603 16—00448 (Call Sign EO60076) (April
     14, 2006).
     * See Exhibit B, ataching excerpts from Inmarsat Group Limited‘s Form 6—K filed with the SEC
     on November 15, 2006, available at
     hitps/fwwwsee.gouArchives/edgar/data/1291398/0001 19312506235898/0001 193 125—06.—
     235898—index hm
     * See Inmarsat Ventures Limited, Reply, File No. SES—STA—20061019—01868 (Call Sign
     £O60179) (November 8, 2006), at 1, 2.


 Ms. Marlene H. Dortch
 November 22, 2006
 Page2
 bythe Bureau are actually in operation today. In fact, although Inmarsat‘s BGAN service was
 Iaunched almost a year ago in December 2005," Inmarsat in a November 15, 2006 filing
 submitted with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") reveals that there are
only 5,547 BGAN subscribers worldwide today." These terminals are used in 172 countries,
with Inmarsat‘s Chinese distribution partner accounting for 12% of BGAN sales, mostly to
Chinese media,oil, and gas companies," While MSV is not aware of any publicly available
figures on the number of BGAN terminals deployed in the United States (and Inmarsat has failed
to provide any such figure in the record), it is safe to assume that only a fraction ofthe 5500
BGAN terminals activated worldwide today are used in the United States. Thus, despite
Inmarsat‘s claims, the operation of a handful (if any) BGAN terminals to date demonstrates
nothing regarding the potential for interference if more and more BGAN terminals are operated
in the future. In fact, if these BGAN terminals have been provided tofrst responders, it is most
likely that the terminals are being used only during an emergeney. During these emergencies,
interference is likely to those first responders that use MSV‘s service that are responding to the
same emergency.
        To alleviate this isk ofiterference, MSV has urged the Bureau to establish a firm
expiration date for the BGAN STAs and provide that nofurther extensions will be granted
without Inmarsat having first completed coordination ofits new satellte with other North
American L band operators.® If, however, the Bureau continues to renew the BGAN STAs
without insisting that Inmarsatfirst complete coordination, there are no reasonable prospectsthat
such coordination will ever be successfully completed. This is especiallythe case now that
Inmarsat has revealed that only roughly 5500 BGAN terminals have been activated worldwide in
the past year.. At this rate, it will be many years before Inmarsat and itsdistributors approach the
limit of 30,000 BGAN terminals authorized in the United States pursuant to STA.. Only a firm
expiration date for the BGAN STAs will provide Inmarsat with the needed incentive to satisfy its
obligation to coordinate ts satelite with other North American L band operators. Not only will
successful coordination mitigate the harmfulinterference that would otherwise resultfrom
operation of Inmarsat‘s uncoordinated satellte, this coordination should also facilitate rebanding
of L band spectrum into more contiguous frequency blocks that will increase efficient use of L
band spectrum and maximize the potential for offering broadband services, which Chairman
Martin recently explained is the Commission‘s top priorty."

* See Inmarsat Announces Launch of BGAN Service (December 7, 2005), available at:
hitp:/fabout.inmarsat.com/news/00018831.aspx?language=EN&textonly=False
© See supra note 3.
" See Communications Daily (November 16, 2006), at 12 (quoting Inmarsat‘s ChiefOperating
Officer).
* See Mobile Satellite Ventures Subsidiary LLC, Comments, File No. SES—STA—20061019—
01868 (Call Sign EO6O179) (October 24, 2006), at 4—5.
* See Remarks of FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin, Imagining the Digital Healthcare Future in the
Rural West, Montana State University — Bozeman (July 7, 2006).


 Ms. Marlene H. Dortch
 November 22, 2006
 Page 3

          in the event that the Bureau permits the BGAN STAs to continue without establishing a
 firm expiration date,the Burea should at least require the STA holders to disclose the number
 of BGAN terminals that are actuallyin operation using the Inmarsat—4 satellte that is serving  the
 United States. L band operators can use this information to assess the potential aggregate
 interference to their operations. Moreover, until coordination is completed, the Bureau
 limit the BGAN terminals authorized under these STAs to those terminals that are issuedshould
                                                                                           to "first
 responders,""" based on swom affidavits provided by the STA holders supporting their claims.
        Please contact the undersigned with any questions.
                                               Very truly yours,


                                              &&;:{. Manner




‘* The Bureau should define a "first responder®as a unit of the Federal Government or any entity
that would qualify to hold a license under Section 90.523 of the Commission‘s rules. See 47
C.F.R. §90.523 (providing that State or local govemnment entities and certain nongovernmental
organizations that provide services, the sole or principal purpose of which is to protect the safety
oflife, health, or property, as well as satsfy other critera, may qualify to hold certain licenses).


                                        Exhibit A


             Pending Applications to Provide BGAN Services with Inmarsat 4F2

        Applicant                       File Number

Stratos Communications Inc.       SES—LES—20050826—01175 (Call Sign EOS0249)
                                  SES—AMD—20050922—01313 (Call Sign EO50249)
                                  SES—AMD—20051117—01590 (Call Sign E050249)
Telenor Satellite, Inc.           SES—LES—20050930—01352 (Call Sign EO50276)
                                  SES—AMD—20051 1 11—01564 (Call Sign EO80276)
                                  SES—AMD—20060109—00019 (Call Sign EO50276)
                                  SES—AMD—20060607—00942 (Call Sign EOS0276)
FIMSC US, LLC                     SES—LFS—20051011—01396 (Call Sign EO50284)
                                  SES—AMD—20051118—01602 (Call Sign EO50284)
                                  SES—AMD—20060605—00926 (Call Sign EOS0284)
MVS USA, Inc.                    SES—LES—20051 123—01634 (Call Sign EO50348)
                                 SES—AMD—20060329—00540 (Call Sign EOS0348)
BT Americas Inc.                 SES—LES—20060303—00343 (Call Sign EO60076)
                                 SES—AMD—20060316—00448(Call Sign EO60076)
Thrane and Thrane                SES—LFS—20060522—00852(Call Sign B060179)



            Applications for STA to Provide BGAN Services with Inmarsat 4E2

       Applicant                        File Number

Stratos Communications Inc.      SES—STA—20061103—01946 (Call Sign EO50249)
Telenor Satellite, Inc.          SES—$TA—20061027—01898 (Cll Sign EOS0276)
FIMSC US, LLC                    SES—$TA—20061006—01820 (Call Sign E050284)
MVS USA, Inc.                    SES—STA—20061106—01955 (Call Sign EOS0348)
BT Americas Inc.                 SES—STA—20061 101—01933 (Call Sign E060076)
Thrane and Thrane                SES—STA—20061019—01868 (Call Sign E060179)



Document Created: 2007-12-06 13:17:42
Document Modified: 2007-12-06 13:17:42

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