[Satellite TODAY Insider 03-01-11] LightSquared has formed a working group with the U.S. Global Positioning System Industry Council (USGIC) to study potential interference problems the 4G LTE terrestrial-satellite network might pose on GPS systems, LightSquared announced Feb. 28.
    The formation of the group follows a report filed in January to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by Garmin Engineers Scott Burgett and Bronson Hokuf, which asserted that the stronger signals created by the LightSquared mobile network base stations and the SkyTerra-1 satellite would, “seriously limit GPS reception, causing widespread GPS jamming and depriving vast areas of the United States of GPS coverage.”
    The U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) also expressed concern to the FCC about LightSquared’s proposed LTE network interfering with GPS satellites and other emergency communications.
LightSquared received conditional FCC approval to install its network in January. But, the approval included restrictions to contain the network’s assigned frequencies in the L-band and requirements to test GPS devices to determine what type of interference LightSquared’s transmitters might cause and to submit an initial report on Feb. 25 with a plan on how potential interference would be dealt with.
    The LightSqurared, USGIC collaboration will include a technical working group consisting of GPS industry experts and will provide guidance and recommendations for interference solutions. “It is expected that the [Group] will be made up of individuals numbering 14-20 who will bring strong technical and/or use-case expertise to the working group and represent a diversity of receiver categories and installed user groups,” the company said in a letter to the FCC.
    LightSquared will submit a progress report on the working group to the FCC on May 15.

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