LightSquared Cripples Its Growth To Resolve GPS Issue

LightSquared has a vision to provide what it calls “the nation’s first wholesale-only integrated wireless broadband and satellite network.” But that vision has been muddied by what GPS operators say will be interference from LightSquared’s network. On Thursday, the Reston, Va.-based company presented a modified spectrum plan to the Federal Communications Commission to resolve the GPS issue.

The company said its goal is to provide a world-class broadband service in the U.S. that includes rural areas and other underserved communities, as well as inject new competition into the wireless market.

‘Problem of Their Own Making’

The company said its proposed solution resolves the issue. It also said the interference problem is due to GPS device manufacturers’ decision over the past eight years “to design products that depend on using spectrum assigned to other FCC licensees.”

This is not a choice between GPS and a new wireless broadband competitor, LightSquared said, adding that its testing shows its solution resolves interference for about 99.5 percent of all commercial GPS devices — including 100 percent of the 300 million GPS-enabled cell phones.

LightSquared also charged that the GPS makers’ answer to “a problem of their own making” is to block LightSquared from using its own spectrum to create the network. The problem could have been avoided, the company said, if GPS makers had equipped their devices with filters costing as little as a nickel each.

This issue, said LightSquared Chairman and CEO Sanjiv Ahuja, “will be resolved by good data, smart engineers, and good-faith problem-solving dialog.”

A GPS industry group — the Coalition To Save Our GPS — said in a statement that if LightSquared’s application to change the relevant spectrum use is approved, “widespread, severe GPS jamming will occur.”

Using Growth Band

The coalition added that tests by GPS device maker Garmin, using the technical specs of the LightSquared system,…

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Tags: cripples, growth, issue, LightSquared, resolve

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 2nd, 2011 at 3:17 pm and is filed under More Science/Tech News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.