FCC Approves Space Data SkySite® Technology for Air-to-Ground Communications
Balloon-Borne “Towers in the Sky” for Aircraft
Chandler, Arizona; December 20, 2005—The Federal Communications Commission has approved Space Data Corporation’s SkySite® technology for use in air-to-ground (ATG) communications. The approval was included in the FCC’s release of an order clarifying new rules intended to increase competition in the air-to-ground services market. The order clears the way for Space Data to compete in both the ATG spectrum auction and the ATG services market.
“From the 100,000 foot vantage point of our SkySite Platforms, a 757 or A320 full of passengers at 30,000 feet looks more or less like a bus full of passengers on the ground. Our SkySite technology can provide airline passengers with a wider range of communications options than they have today,” explained Gerald Knoblach, Space Data’s Chairman and CEO.
The Space Data constellation of balloon-borne communications equipment, known collectively as the SkySite Network, operates in “near space” over 20 miles above the earth—miles above air traffic or weather systems. The company has been providing 24/7 communications service throughout the south-central United States for more than a year under a FCC waiver for Narrowband Personal Communications Service. The ATG FCC decision marks the first time that near space communications platform use has been approved as part of the standard regulations for a commercial wireless service. “We applaud the FCC for recognizing the potential of this important new class of proven communications platforms by crafting regulations with the flexibility to leverage its unique advantages for wide area coverage and low cost,” said Knoblach. Space Data is the only company currently using a near space-based network to provide commercial wireless services.
Space Data’s SkySite technology offers distinct advantages over satellite-based technology, including significantly lower start-up and operating costs and enhanced flexibility. “We’re able to adopt and implement technological advances as soon as they become available. This capability is in favorable contrast to satellites which are stuck with existing technology for ten years or more,” noted Knoblach.
In addition to its commercial deployment, Space Data’s technology has been applied to Department of Defense applications. This past year the Air Force Space BattleLab conducted a series of successful tests using Space Data platforms to extend voice communications from 10 miles to over 400 miles for troops on the ground using standard handheld radios, while improving the battery life of the handheld radios and allowing interoperation between the handheld FM radios and AM radios on board fighter aircraft. The company now seeks to leverage the ATG capability demonstrated to the Air Force, in order to bring a similar capability to the commercial marketplace.
For additional information on Space Data Corporation, please visit www.spacedata.net.