interference

LightSquared today fired back at the Federal Communications Commission, saying the agency's decision to squash the company's planned wireless network would harm the American public. But it appears to be too little, too late for the embattled company.

The start-up wireless provider was dealt a fatal blow yesterday when the FCC suspended a key waiver that would have allowed it to build its 4G network, citing concerns over potential interference with critical GPS equipment. The denial of the waiver effectively turned the company into the walking dead.

While the FCC may have officially stamped out LightSquared's hopes … Read more

A growing number of Congressional leaders and state officials are urging the Federal Communications Commission to move forward with its review of LightSquared, the controversial startup that plans to build a national wireless broadband network using satellite spectrum.

Last week, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) sent a letter to FCC chairman Julius Genachowski in support of the company and its plans.

"I write to express concern about delays in the approval process involving LightSquared's proposed 4G-LTE wireless broadband network," Conyers wrote in a letter sent last week. "I strongly urge the Commission to move with urgency to … Read more

Sprint Nextel said it will give LightSquared an additional six weeks to get approval to build its nationwide 4G LTE wireless network from the Federal Communications Commission or it will terminate its agreement with the company, according to Dow Jones Newswires.

A Sprint spokesman told Dow Jones that the company had given LightSquared until mid-March to resolve concerns that its network interferes with GPS receivers. Sprint had already given LightSquared a 30-day extension to get FCC approval at the end of 2011.

A LightSquared representative confirmed that an extension had been granted. And he reiterated LightSquared's commitment to completing … Read more

LightSquared is done with the government's hemming and hawing, and is pressuring for approval to use its spectrum to build a next-generation wireless network.

In the company's most aggressively worded message to the Federal Communications Commission, LightSquared argues that the GPS industry has no right to seek protection from the potential interference that LightSquared's network could cause. It said today that it has filed a petition seeking a declaratory ruling confirming its rights as a spectrum licensee. The company has been battling the perception that its network could possibly cripple critical GPS devices--hurting planes, farming equipment, and … Read more

LightSquared believes someone has it out for the startup and its efforts to build a 4G LTE network.

The latest stumbling block came last week in the form of a leak of a preliminary government report, which revealed that the company hadn't settled the concerns that it could disrupt the signal of a large number of personal and military GPS devices.

LightSquared's general counsel, Curtis Lu, blasted the leak, noting that only the negative portions of the tests were shown, and that the conclusions were based on incorrect assumptions.

"The leak was designed to subvert the fairness … Read more

LightSquared CEO Sanjiv Ahuja is taking his case for building another 4G network to the public.

Ahuja and LightSquared plan to publish an open letter in major newspapers tomorrow advocating the need for the company's planned 4G LTE network, which has come under fire over concerns that it interferes with critical GPS equipment. Over the past few months, the company has attempted to appease GPS companies, government officials, and regulators, by taking steps including using spectrum less likely to cause interference, starting up a program to address the issue in rural communities, and most recently unveiling a device that would solve the interference problem altogether. … Read more

LightSquared Chief Executive Sanjiv Ahuja is trying to have his cake and eat it too. Literally.

Ahuja and his management team will celebrate his upstart company's first anniversary on Thursday with cake and ice cream--a tradition from his days running France Telecom's wireless giant Orange.

The milestone comes as LightSquared has quelled some doubts about the validity of its planned 4G network through a few customer wins and a round of financing. But it continues to face resistance from the traditional telecommunications giants, as well as the GPS industry, which has loudly expressed its concern that LightSquared's … Read more

LightSquared, the hedge-fund-backed start-up that plans to build a nationwide wireless 4G network using both satellite and land-based spectrum, today filed its official plan for reducing interference between its service and GPS navigation systems.

LightSquared acknowledged earlier this month that its initial network plan interfered with GPS navigation devices, such as those used in cars, on boats, and by the U.S. Department of Defense. But the company said its new proposal will solve most of those issues. And the company called on the GPS community, which has been critical of LightSquared's plans, to help it resolve the remaining … Read more

LightSquared, a company that most cell phone subscribers have never heard of, is building a nationwide wireless broadband network that it hopes will rival the nation's largest providers AT&T and Verizon Wireless.

The company has gotten a lot of buzz lately as the Federal Communications Commission and others see it as the answer for more competition in the wireless market. AT&T's announcement last month that it will acquire T-Mobile USA for $39 billion has raised eyebrows among regulators and consumer advocates concerned about too much consolidation in the wireless market.

LightSquared, which plans to sell its service wholesale instead of directly to consumers, has already signed up Leap Wireless and Cellular South as customers. Retail chain Best Buy has also committed to testing the service, and rumors are floating around that the company may be signing a deal with Sprint Nextel to share network resources.

And even though the network won't be up and running until early next year, there's already talk that the company may go public this summer.

But what is LightSquared exactly? And what are its chances of success? And finally, what does the potential success of this company mean for the average consumer? … Read more