By Ahmad Hathout
Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) approved Thursday the extended use of the extended Ku (xKu) band for direct-to-home satellite broadcasting service (DTH) for at least another decade.
The department will allow Telesat to continue providing the service to Shaw Direct, which parent company Rogers uses to provide television services to some consumers and other broadcasters, until November 2039. In 2010, ISED forbade Telesat from continuing to carry DTH services in the band after January 1, 2028.
Telesat had requested the extension in December and, in filing the supporting intervention, Rogers warned about the negative impact on rural and remote communities if the request wasn’t granted.
“ISED is of the view that permitting Telesat to continue providing Shaw Direct DTH services is in the best interest of Canadians, particularly those living in rural and remote areas where there are limited options for the reception of television programming,” ISED said in its decision Thursday.
“ISED notes that some fixed services have been operating in the bands since the 2010 Decision was published without any reports of harmful interference into the fixed satellite service/DTH services,” it added.
The application came the month before a moratorium was to be lifted on the department’s ability to consider licensing new fixed services in the 11 GHz band, which was suspended until it made a decision on this matter.
Now that it has made said decision, the department said it will lift the moratorium and “make every effort to place new terrestrial links in other portions of the band first.”
Rogers has said that both DTH and wireless services can coexist in the band beyond 2027.
“As one of the largest commercial fixed service operators in Canada, Rogers has extensive experience operating microwave wireless backhaul in bands that coexist with fixed/broadcast satellite services,” Rogers said in its intervention. “We also have highlighted the need for additional fixed spectrum to be made available to support the continued growth of current mobile networks and next generation 5G Advanced and 6G networks in a number of ISED spectrum consultations.”
