https://urgentcomm.com/wp-content/themes/ucm_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Galleries
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • Commentary
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • All Things IWCE
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • IWCE
    • Conference
    • Special Events
    • Exhibitor Listings
    • Premier Partners
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Register for IWCE
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookies Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • Mission Critical Technologies
    • Microwave/RF
    • T&D World
    • TU-Auto
  • In the field
    • Back
    • In the field
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Internet of Things
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Call Center/Command
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Network Tech
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Operations
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Regulations
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • Organizations
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
Urgent Communications
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Omdia Crit Comms Circle Podcast
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • All Things IWCE
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • UC eZines
    • Sponsored content
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • Conference
    • Why Attend
    • Exhibitor Listing
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Join the Event Mailing List
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookies Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • TU-Auto
  • newsletter
  • In the field
    • Back
    • Internet of Things
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Cybersecurity
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
acc.com

The silver lining (with related video)

The silver lining (with related video)

  • Written by raidee
  • 1st October 2018

During the past year, satellite communications provider LightSquared has been embroiled in controversy over its proposal to deploy a terrestrial LTE network nationwide over its airwaves in the 1.5 GHz band. This spectrum originally was designated solely for satellite use, but the Federal Communications Commission in 2003 approved the L Band (1–2 GHz) for terrestrial use under certain conditions.

Chief among those conditions regarding LightSquared’s terrestrial system was that the company’s operations not introduce harmful interference to Global Positioning System (GPS) devices that operate on spectrum in the adjacent band. So far, it’s a condition that LightSquared has yet to fulfill despite offering several proposals, meaning that the start date for its massive cellular project is on hold. Based on the latest negative conclusion from nine federal agencies, many industry observers question whether LightSquared’s LTE vision ever will be realized.

“There appears to be no practical solutions or mitigations that would permit the LightSquared broadband service, as proposed, to operate in the next few months — or years — without significantly interfering with GPS,” the agencies stated in a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

However, LightSquared officials contest the findings cited in the letter, and claim that testing was conducted in a manner that unfairly guaranteed that LightSquared would fail.

As of press time, the final outcome from this contentious episode remained uncertain. But one aspect of the situation is undisputed: the stakes in this debate are enormous.

On one side, the GPS industry boasts more than 500 million devices across the globe, some of which are tasked with providing mission-critical information, such as the location of an airplane.

On the other side, LightSquared’s nationwide LTE deployment was expected to help address several key public-policy goals. Through its LTE network buildout, the startup carrier plans to create about 15,000 jobs and inject about $14 billion of private investment into a struggling economy. And LightSquared’s wholesale business model promises to increase competition in the wireless industry by providing regional operators with a mechanism to compete against industry behemoths AT&T and Verizon on a nationwide basis.

Instead of LightSquared being a boon to the economy, the company’s financial viability — including its push-to-talk satellite business — now is in serious doubt. LightSquared officials repeatedly state that the company has enough funding to survive for “several quarters,” but they have declined to be more specific. The fact that the company’s primary backer — billionaire hedge-fund manager Philip Falcone — faces inquiries from Congress and the Securities Exchange Commission regarding investment practices indirectly associated with LightSquared also is discouraging.

Add it all up and the LightSquared episode is fraught with the potential to set key precedents on many levels — spectrum policy, testing procedures and regulatory certainty. Indeed, this web of claims, tests, actions and accusations has become so complex that a House subcommittee was expected to conduct a hearing on the matter as of press time, in an attempt to determine whether the FCC’s regulatory process went awry.

“How did that process fail?” Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), chairman of the House technology subcommittee, reportedly said. “Because you’ve got a lot of people spending a lot of money trying to sort this out now, and it would seem to me somebody would have sorted it out before they made the licenses available.

“I don’t understand the process where someone buys the spectrum, put forth by the FCC to be used for a purpose, only to discover later on you can’t use what you just bought because of interference issues. I’m trying to figure out how the cart got so far ahead of the horse.”

Tags:

Related Content

  • Starlink speeds accelerate in Q2, with lower latencies than GEO satellite services, Ookla says
  • Florida contract with L3Harris for SLERS P25, FirstNet interoperability totals $450 million
  • 5 key lessons from ICS attacks through the ages
  • 5G Broadcast could offer new mode of digital media delivery

Commentary


LTE and liability: Why the fire service must move forward with digital incident command

  • 2
6th May 2022

Partnership and collaboration must be the foundation for emergency communications

18th April 2022

FirstNet success means no hypothetical ‘shots’ need to be fired, Swenson says

22nd February 2022
view all

Events


UC Ezines


IWCE 2019 Wrap Up

13th May 2019
view all

Twitter


UrgentComm

Newscan: Japanese carrier outage lasts multiple days dlvr.it/STS9JJ

6th July 2022
UrgentComm

Criminals use deepfake videos to interview for remote work dlvr.it/STRjZM

6th July 2022
UrgentComm

Tesla recalls 59,000 vehicles over emergency-call software glitch dlvr.it/STRcgT

6th July 2022
UrgentComm

Report: Reforming emergency dispatch won’t be easy, but it’s necessary dlvr.it/STRYNP

6th July 2022
UrgentComm

FCC clears SpaceX to connect Starlink to boats, planes, other moving vehicles dlvr.it/STRXGB

6th July 2022
UrgentComm

Judge orders Hytera to make large royalty payment this month to Motorola Solutions dlvr.it/STRRQc

6th July 2022
UrgentComm

Sesame Solar leverages mobile solar, hydrogen to power efforts beyond the grid dlvr.it/ST8m3K

1st July 2022
UrgentComm

Newscan: On front lines, communications breakdowns prove costly for Ukraine dlvr.it/ST7fnC

30th June 2022

Newsletter

Sign up for UrgentComm’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about Communications and Technology.

Expert Commentary

Learn from experts about the latest technology in automation, machine-learning, big data and cybersecurity.

Business Media

Find the latest videos and media from the market leaders.

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital and print audiences? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • American City & County
  • IWCE
  • Light Reading
  • IOT World Today
  • Mission Critical Technologies
  • Microwave/RF
  • T&D World
  • TU-Auto

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Events
  • Careers

FOLLOW Urgent Comms ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X