LightSquared Floats Another GPS Solution

As promised just last week, LightSquared has offered up a solution to the problem of interference with high precision GPS applications for its proposed LTE network buildout. They have signed an agreement with Javad GNSS to develop simple, affordable filters which will need to be implemented on the affected GPS devices. A few dozen prototypes are expected to be available in just two weeks followed by mass production. Assuming of course, that the FCC and the GPS industry are satisfied.

This fix fits alongside LightSquared’s most recent shift in plans, moving to the far end of its frequency range, promising to lower power even further, and reserving a specific band those high precision signals — all  in hopes of placating the other side. The GPS industry made a few non-committal conciliatory noises in response to the last entreaty, let’s see if they follow up with something similar this time. At best they will be cautious and wait for testing.

If the solution is technically feasible, then the question will come down to who pays. ‘Affordable’ is a relative concept, and the whole situation has gotten quite politically messy. LightSquared clearly hopes to wrap this up ASAP before that aspect gets worse, and perhaps the FCC feels the same way at this point.  But the GPS industry still seems to have little incentive to compromise.

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Categories: Wireless