RCR Wireless News MBB Baltimore: LightSquared tackles GPS controversy

BALTIMORE – LightSquared’s plans to deploy a nationwide mobile broadband network using both satellite and terrestrial components has been a contentious issue since those plans were announced last summer.
The plan was initially viewed by skeptics as being beyond both the financial and logistical scope of LightSquared, as well as questioned for its plans to rely on an exclusive wholesale model. More recently, LightSquared has seen resistance from the GPS industry, which has claimed the proposed network will cause interference to commercial GPS services.
LightSquared, for its part, has appeared to remain focused on its plans and has not shied away from taking on its detractors head on. In addition, the company is rumored to be in talks with Sprint Nextel Corp. for a spectrum hosting deal that could help LightSquared meets its goal of covering more than 260 million potential customers with its terrestrial-based LTE network by the end of 2015.
Geoff Stearn, VP of spectrum management at LightSquared, participated in the recent RCR Wireless News Mobile Broadband event in Baltimore, where he provided some perspective and insight into LightSquared’s deployment plans and how it’s facing the many challenges it looks set to face.
Joining Stearn was Ted Abrams, president of Abrams Wireless, who provided more technical analysis on the interference issue as well as how the GPS industry is culpable for those issues.