(a) Non-geostationary Mobile-Satellite Service (NGSO MSS) operators shall be licensed to use the 29.1-29.25 GHz band for Earth-to-space transmissions from feeder link earth station complexes. A “feeder link earth station complex” may include up to three (3) earth station groups, with each earth station group having up to four (4) antennas, located within a radius of 75 km of a given set of geographic coordinates provided by a NGSO MSS licensees or applicants pursuant to §101.147.

(b) A maximum of seven (7) feeder link earth station complexes in the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii may be placed into operation, in the largest 100 MSAs, in the band 29.1-29.25 GHz in accordance with §25.203 and §101.147 of this chapter.

(c) One of the NGSO MSS operators licensed to use the 29.1-29.25 GHz band may specify geographic coordinates for a maximum of eight feeder link earth station complexes that transmit in the 29.1-29.25 GHz band. The other NGSO MSS operator licensed to use the 29.1-29.25 GHz band may specify geographic coordinates for a maximum of two feeder link earth station complexes that transmit in the 29.1-29.25 GHz band.

(d) Additional NGSO MSS operators may be licensed in this band if the additional NGSO MSS operator shows that its system can share with the existing NGSO MSS systems.

(e) All NGSO MSS operators shall cooperate fully and make reasonable efforts to identify mutually acceptable locations for feeder link earth station complexes. In this regard, any single NGSO MSS operator may identify only one feeder-link earth station complex protection zone in each category identified in §101.147(y)(2) of this chapter until the other NGSO MSS operator has been given an opportunity to select a location from the same category.

[61 FR 44181, Aug. 28, 1996, as amended at 78 FR 8430, Feb. 6, 2013; 81 FR 55348, Aug. 18, 2016]