LightSquared's Solution Plan Met with Criticism

LightSquared announced plans to rework its nationwide broadband network, migrating to the lower 10 MHz of its L-band spectrum holdings as a solution to multiple reports of GPS interference.

LightSquared was recently granted an extension on studies required by the FCC on the company's alleged interferenced with GPS signals, and the company cosummated a $20 billion network sharing deal with Sprint Nextel. 

Although the company plans to be a major player in the future of LTE, their network has been plagued with GPS interference since its first tests.  Instead of using the satellite spectrum adjacent to GPS channels, LightSquared recently worked a deal with Inmarsat, allowing it access to the lower band sooner than expected.  This solution could possibly save the company's business plan to launch its network in the first half of next year. 

In its statement, LightSquared claims that its tests have shown that the lower 10 MHz of spectrum is "largely free" of interference.  The company admits that some high precision GPS devices are specifically programmed to operate on the channels owned by LightSquared, and their studies show these devices will be still be affected. 

Although the FCC declined to comment, one of the founders of the Coalition to Save Our GPS was very outspoken in his response to LightSquared's plan.  Jim Kirkland of Trimble claims that the spectrum still interferes with many GPS devices, including the aforementioned high precision receivers. 

The second part of lightSquared's solution involves amending its FCC license to reduce its maximum authorized base-station transmitter power by 50%. 

The company claims that this plan is one that will allow them to proceed with the launch of their network, while protecting GPS signal.  Although the FCC has continually backed LightSquared's progress towards the launch, Coalition and other GPS advocates still hold that critical GPS capabilitiers will be compromised.