New simple, affordable solution floated by LightSquared to solve its GPS interference problem

As we reported a while ago, interference with nearby GPS signals has plagued LightSquared's attempt to offer a wholesale LTE network. And even though the company has a huge deal with Sprint to put up a nation-wide LTE network, we recently told you that the FCC wants more testing of LightSquared's signal to see if the recent improvement seen in the GPS interference is continuing. The FCC needs LightSquared to completely solve this problem since some of the GPS interference is taking place with military equipment.

LightSquared has come up with solutions before, but this time it claims to have a "simple, affordable solution" that won't require huge changes to its network The only change will come to the GPS hardware that it is allegedly interfering with. The company has signed a pact with Javad GNSS to reconfigure the filters and linear amps on the GPS receivers and make them compatible with the bottom 10MHz of LightSquared's spectrum. According to Javad, this will solve the problem with the interference.

The selling price of the reconfigured GPS receivers would not change from the current price according to Javad, although existing units will need to be retrofitted and that will force somebody to write a check. Next month, the first pre-production units will be available for testing with High Precision receivers expected to roll out in November with precision timing devices due out in March. Javad Ashjaee, Javad GNSS founder, says that the problem is not difficult to solve and that 25 pre-production models will be available within 2 weeks. "We are not talking about hypotheticals here," he said. Assuming that the new devices work as well in preventing interference as Mr. Ashjaee states they do, we should get the definitive word from the FCC and from LightSquared.

source: Engadget