LightSquared Collaborates with PCTEL to Solve High Precision GPS Interference

LightSquared, a provider of wholesale-only nationwide 4G-LTE network integrated with satellite coverage, announced collaboration with PCTEL, a global provider of innovative antenna solutions, to resolve concerns over high precision GPS interference.

PCTEL’s antenna solution allows existing high precision users to retrofit their GPS devices to make them compatible with LightSquared's network. It provides high precision GPS users with another in a series of solutions to make their equipment LightSquared-compatible, the company stated.

These antenna solutions are designed for applications including public safety, agriculture, construction and aviation. It will be independently tested with a range of receivers at Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs in Murray Hill, NJ.

“PCTEL has developed GPS antenna solutions that have solved a variety of interference issues that others said were unsolvable,” said Martin Harriman, executive vice president of ecosystem development and satellite business at LightSquared, in a statement. “Their wideband antenna provides an efficient and elegant solution for thousands of high precision device users.”

Both PCTEL and LightSquared have been developing narrowband solutions to address interference issues. The current solution will provide wideband high precision users with a state-of-the-art solution for their unique positioning needs.

“We look forward to developing other multiband and wideband high rejection GPS antenna products with LightSquared to bring high precision technology to new levels,” said Jeff Miller, PCTEL's senior vice president of sales and marketing, in a statement.

These solutions will be tested at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) testing in the coming weeks.  Preliminary testing results favor LightSquared. The company is confident that the debate over its network and interference from GPS signals will be resolved.

LightSquared has been actively developing solution to high-precision GPS interference issues despite the general belief among some GPS device manufacturers that an interference solution would take ten years and billions of dollars to develop.

Earlier this month, GPS device maker Javad GNSS   announced the design of antennas that can be retrofitted onto existing devices and the development of new receivers that are compatible with LightSquared's network. Another company, Partron America has created a filtering component that costs only $6.

LightSquared is on a mission to build a world-class 4G-LTE network that will bring lower prices, better service and more competition to 260 million Americans by 2015.