LightSquared Changes Plans, GPS Group Unimpressed

June 20, 2011 LightSquared Changes Plans, GPS Group
Unimpressed

By Glenn Pew, Contributing Editor, Video Editor

Monday, LightSquared proposed a new plan that would use
frequencies which are controlled by the satellite company
Inmarsat Plc and not use those closest to GPS frequencies,
hoping to avoid most interference issues. The company's original
plan had been to launch its service (which supports wireless
communications) using frequencies that neighbor those of GPS.
But tests mandated by the FCC found that such use could lead to
interference problems for GPS users. That possibility led
players in the GPS industry to form a coalition that spoke out
against the plan. The Coalition to Save Our GPS is not satisfied
with LightSquared's latest proposal. "LightSquared’s supposed
solution is nothing but a ‘Hail Mary’ move," said coalition
spokesman Jim Kirkland." Confining its operation to the lower
MSS band still interferes with many critical GPS receivers in
addition to the precision receivers that even LightSquared
concedes will be affected." LightSquared's new proposal involves
using a band of frequencies belonging to Inmarsat that is
farther from GPS. The new plan is actually just an acceleration
of the old one and the company says "a limited number of
high-precision GPS receivers," could still be affected by
interference.

LightSquared's original plan would have migrated service
from the original set of frequencies (closer to GPS) to
Inmarsat's band (farther from GPS) after the first two or three
years of service. The new plan would have service initiated on
Inmarsat's band. The other band will be set aside for testing
mitigation plans, according to LightSquared. The company expects
to have the ability to serve its customers over the next few
years as its service grows. It still expects to launch service
later this year. According to LightSquared Chief Executive
Sanjiv Ahuja, "What's absolutely clear is American consumers
absolutely need this network." Ahuja believes the new solution
"ensures that tens of millions of GPS users won't be affected by
LightSquared's launch." But the Coalition to Save GPS says
LightSquared's plans should be considered a non-starter by the
FCC. "It is time for LightSquared to move to out of the MSS
band,” Kirkland said.