Commercial satellite operators aiming to fulfill a greater share of the U.S. Defense Department's satellite bandwidth needs see the next 18 months as a crucial window for making their case with the customer as it explores its own next-generation systems. The U.S. Air Force is expected to undertake an analysis of alternatives for wideband satellite capacity that will help determine its way forward on a follow-on to its 10-satellite Wideband Global Satcom system. The first glimpse of that program is expected to come as early as the Air Force's fiscal year 2018 budget request. That would leave less than 18 months for commercial satellite operators to spell out what they can offer as an alternative to government-owned satellites like WGS.
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