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LightSquared Wants To Share Weather-Balloon Frequencies for LTE

Posted by timothy on from the everything's-up-in-the-air dept.

IDG News Service reports (as carried by PC World) that LightSquared, having lost some of the spectrum they'd hoped to use for a nationwide LTE network because of worries it would interfere with GPS service, has a new plan: to use some of the spectrum currently reserved by the federal government for uses like weather-balloon communications. From the article: "The new plan would give the carrier 30MHz of frequencies on which to operate the LTE network. That's 10MHz less than it had wanted but still comparable to the amount of spectrum Verizon Wireless and AT&T are using for their LTE systems, which in most areas use just 20MHz. Wireless network speeds are determined partly by how much spectrum the network uses, so LightSquared might be able to deliver a competitive service for its planned coverage area of 260 million U.S. residents."

10 of 141 comments (clear)

  1. Some people by mindwhip · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Just don't know when to fold.

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    [The Universe] has gone offline.
    1. Re:Some people by icebike · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I don't view public use of GPS as more important than public broadband.

      Your views don't matter.

      The country as a whole, actually, the world as a whole, has decided that GPS location is far more important than yet another boradband provider.

      The "kit" in the field was there first, and you can't tell every owner of every GPS equipped device in the world that they have to replace their devices just so this bunch of clowns can make money.

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      Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
    2. Re:Some people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      " It is 100% the fault of shoddy deities with poorly thought out laws of physics"

      FTFY

      You can't here a whisper from 20 yards away if the guy sitting next to you is screaming down his mobile phone.

  2. Just pay for proper spectrum already! by gman003 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Second verse, same as the first. LightSquared just doesn't want to pay for spectrum. First they tried muscling in on satellite frequencies, claiming to the FCC that they'd primarily be satellite-based while telling everyone else that they'd be terrestrial only. And of course, they got caught because pretty much *any* terrestrial-strength broadcast is going to swamp out any satellite-based stuff on the same frequencies.

    So now they're trying it again, trying to squeeze in on some pre-established frequencies. I don't claim to know any technical details of weather-balloon communication, but I do know this: if it *were* possible to safely share those frequencies with LTE-like communications, it would likely have been done already. Given their prior track record, LS is going to have to argue pretty effectively to convince me.

    Look, LightSquared. You should've just paid for actual spectrum you could use before. You acted like a cheap bastard and tried to use the wrong parts because it was cheaper, and then you cried when it didn't work.

    1. Re:Just pay for proper spectrum already! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      We've been over this 100 times every time this comes up.
      The spectrum they licensed was intended for satellite use only.
      They wanted to use it for terrestrial broadcast.
      The neighboring spectrum was also allocated with satellite use in mind.

      You aren't allowed to build a factory in a residential area either.

  3. Nice choice of spectrum by vmxeo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I suspect the request to "share" frequencies with weather balloon transmitters has less to do with available bandwidth and more to do with a relative lack of industry who will be able to stand up this time to object. Weather balloons typically transmit at less than 300 milliwatts. If they couldn't figure out how to keep their land based-transmitters from overpowering 50 watt gps signals, I don't see how high-altitude balloons signals will fare any better.

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  4. Kinda hope they succeed. by jacks+smirking+reven · · Score: 1, Insightful

    As mis-planned as LightSquared's business plans seem, I do really hope they or someone with a similar idea succeeds soon. Competitors obtaining and lighting up spectrum for data seems like one of the few market based actions needed to really put a bit of pressure on Verizon/ATT and even local broadband providers. That combined with some hopeful new ideas for the FCC on how it doles out spectrum and we could see some increased capability in US broadband options.

  5. Again by sjames · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Here is yet another hair brained scheme to use a public resource on the cheap for private profit. Who needs accurate weather forecasts and severe storm warnings when we could let yet another carrier overcharge us for wireless bandwidth?

  6. The Producers by bmo · · Score: 2, Insightful

    > has a new plan: to use some of the spectrum currently reserved by the federal government for uses like weather-balloon communications.

    BECAUSE NOBODY EVER USES THOSE FREQUENCIES FOR ANYTHING USEFUL RIGHT GUISE?

    The amount of stupid in this company just really makes me wonder if I should just start my own scam and get away with it for years while burning up investor money in impossible persuits designed to fail.

    It's like The Producers. Heaven forbid they actually do something useful and have to pay back their investors by building a useful network

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    BMO

  7. MORONS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    DO these guys actually have any RF engineers on Staff or Just Fucking Lawyers !?