[Satellite TODAY 03-24-11] Satellite-LTE network operator LightSquared has signed a contract with national electronics retailer Best Buy to resell its service, LightSquared announced March 23.
    LightSquared CEO and Chairman Sanjiv Ahuja said the deal represents " the biggest contract yet" for LightSquared and that both companies would begin trials in the first quarter of next year. Ahuja did not disclose which specific services Best Buy would sell.
    LightSquared, which is planning to build a terrestrial LTE network with coverage complemented by the satellite service, has been trying to calm fears about analysts’ projections that AT&T’s planned buyout of T-Mobile USA would hurt LightSquared’s prospects by reducing the number of potential resellers for its wholesale service. Analysts also claimed that LightSquared could become an acquisition target for cellular carrier Sprint Nextel.
    The Best Buy deal follows a roaming agreement that LightSquared signed with Leap Wireless International on March 22 to incorporate high-speed coverage and additional capacity provided by Leap’s Cricket business. Cricket, however, said it is still planning to deploy more high-speed LTE coverage across its own network in the next few years.