The network planned by start-up wireless broadband carrier LightSquared cannot safely co-exist with the Global Positioning System, Lawrence Strickling, administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, wrote in a letter to the Federal Communications Commission Tuesday.
LightSquared flunked two rounds of tests last year and Strickling said in his letter to FCC chairman Julius Genachowski that based on evaluation and analysis of those tests “we conclude that LightSquared’s proposed mobile broadband network will impact GPS service and that there is no practical way to mitigate the potential interference issue at this time.”
Lightsquared has $3 billion into their now-doomed project for ground based mobile on a new spectrum. Given their past nasty performance, they will no doubt sue, apply political pressure, throw spectacular temper tantrums, and blame everyone but themselves even as they make unctuous noises now about how the problems can be worked out.
Bottom line: Lightsquared technology interferes with GPS and it’s not up to GPS manufacturers to change their equipment in hopes that it won’t. Yes, Lightsquared is so self-entitled they wanted GPS manaufacturers to change all their equipment so Lightsquared could prosper.