Wednesday was supposed to be the day when all was to be made clear on LightSquared’s network interference issues. Instead we have to wait a few weeks longer. LightSquared asked the FCC for a two-week extension on filing the GPS technical working group’s study on whether the operator’s proposed long-term evolution (LTE) network will interfere with nearby GPS receivers (CP: The LightSquared enigma)—and if it did, whether a fix could be implemented.
Judging from early reports from the government agencies, GPS industry groups and even some leaked data from the technical group’s study itself, the results aren’t good—at least as far as LightSquared is concerned. According to a Wall Street Journal story, both LightSquared and its GPS adversaries agree that its L-band LTE network, as is, interferes with GPS signals, making nearby GPS receivers useless. The Journal, however, reported that LightSquared and other parties disagree on whether filters or a reconfiguration of channels could mitigate the problem. LightSquared thinks it has a workable fix, while Save Our GPS doesn’t. Either way, that doesn’t bode well for LightSquared. The FCC tasked the working group with finding a solution to the interference problems they always knew were there. They can’t even agree there is a feasible solution.
So why is LightSquared waiting to face the music? According to its FCC filing, LightSquared feels hurried:
Producing a final report is a massive undertaking. The test development device selection, laboratory set-up, data compilation, analysis, and drafting that are all preconditions to a final report require coordination among numerous parties (most of which have detailed numerous representatives to the working group), including LightSquared, GPS device manufacturers, and federal agencies.
All parties have been working diligently toward the goal of having a final report ready in time for the June 15 filing. However, despite the group’s best efforts, it has been unable to produce a complete report in time. Among the reasons for the slight delay has been that based on preliminary test results, LightSquared determined that additional testing, beyond what had been planned initially, including alternative frequency plans to support its network roll-out, was necessary to permit a proper evaluation of various mitigation options for addressing the GPS receiver overload issue. That testing has been performed, and it has set back the timetable, particularly in some sub-teams in which data is still being processed and analyzed. Moreover, the analysis of the test results has proven to be time consuming and has required in-depth discussion. In addition, LightSquared must consider the results from all GPS receiver categories in its analysis, and does not want to proceed with filing a report that is incomplete in important ways.
I suspect what LightSquared is getting at is it now understands it won’t be able to access its full 59 MHz spectrum and is looking for ways to distance itself from GPS in the lower L-band where interference problems appear to be less. If it did so, it would still be able to use that upper band spectrum for satellite coverage, just not for a terrestrial LTE network. LightSquared may also be burning the midnight oil with its vendors to find a filter solution that would keep its high-powered LTE signals from washing out GPS even in the lower bands. Then it needs to lobby government agencies and the GPS industry to accept that fix.
My guess is LightSquared knows the circumstances are working against it, but it hopes to salvage something. By presenting the FCC with a report that lays out a problem with no foreseeable solution, the FCC may just yank LightSquared’s waiver outright. If it can supply some alternatives and at least convince the FCC and the other working group members to consider them, it still has a shot.
If Lghtsquared and is government cronies had been successful sneaking this thing through last year over the Thanksgiving holiday, there already would be cities without GPS coverage.
DoD, FAA and GPS Council take notice.
Then came the Garmin interference test. Lightsquared .. Not a properly conducted test. Garmin did not filter its signals like we are going to do, Everything will be OK in the real world.
FCC to Lightsquared with the scheme exposed .. Regrettably, we need to jump through a few hoops. Organize a test and fix it to prove there is no GPS interference. Then we can continue.
Too many GPS experts on the testing panel .. the truth cannot be hidden behind a smoke screen.
Lightsquared and government cronies scrambling and spinning a face saving way out.