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LightSquared Disrupts 75% of GPS Connections In Government Test

Posted by Soulskill on from the back-to-the-drawksssh-sstthhhhkkk-zzzttt dept.

Freddybear writes with this quote from BusinessWeek: "Philip Falcone's proposed LightSquared Inc. wireless service caused interference to 75 percent of global-positioning system receivers examined in a U.S. government test, according to a draft summary of results. ... The tests worked off an 'extraordinarily conservative' threshold and didn't show the devices' performance was affected, [LightSquared exec Martin Harriman said]. 'If we're affecting the performance of the device — my goodness, we'd like to be sure that doesn't happen,' Harriman said. The laboratory testing was performed for the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Systems Engineering Forum, an executive branch body that helps advise policy makers on issues around GPS. It found that 69 of 92, or 75 percent, of receivers tested 'experienced harmful interference' at the equivalent of 100 meters (109 yards) from a LightSquared base station."

3 of 197 comments (clear)

  1. This is being whitewashed from the white house by SuperKendall · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This story is bad enough until you find out the white house was pressuring people to hide issues related to LightSquared.

    And Philip Falcone is a huge donor for the Democratic Party.

    I'm not saying Republicans are angles or anything like that. I am saying this a very bad case of corporate ties directly to the whitehouse that is threatening to disrupt a major technology just to make some money...

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:This is being whitewashed from the white house by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      You forgot to mention that Phillip Falcone is under investigation by the SEC.

  2. Re:Farm GPS, airplanes, and who owns the bandwidth by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm not an expert, but read some back issues of GPS World. Lightsquared is doing dastardly deeds - this frequency was never intended for terrestrial broadcasting. They pulled a fast one and got this for a steal. The FCC screwed up big time - either incompetence or someone was asked to do a favor or paid off. There's a lot of FUD - Lightsquared has been planting stories claiming that the GPS devices won't work do to shoddy engineering. The facts are that they should be building terrestrial base stations that broadcast near GPS frequencies and not have to at least go through a thorough review and pay what this spectrum is really worth.

    You don't see consumer electronics or their suppliers companies publicly complaining because it's not in their best interest to show a weakness at this time. e.g. if company A says that this will impact them, then company B can use that statement when they pay a visit or market to A's customers.

    Fortunately this only impacts the good old USA. The rest of the world can continue to reap the benefits of GPS while they ramp up their systems. (Glonass has been on the rise. Galileo is finally making progress. Compass is on its way and hopefully they will eventually publish their ICD.)