GPS titan Deere & Company has agreed not to object to LightSquared’s plans to use satellite spectrum for terrestrial LTE services in the US, after reaching a compromise on airwaves. The pact ends years of litigation over interference concerns and could lead to similar agreements with other GPS specialists.
GPS titan Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) has agreed not to object to LightSquared’s plans to use satellite spectrum for terrestrial LTE services in the US, after reaching a compromise on airwaves. The pact ends years of litigation over interference concerns.
Having exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the newly formed ‘New LightSquared’ vowed to provide increased protections for the farming equipment maker’s interests.
It agreed to adhere to certain power levels on the L-band’s uplink and downlink frequencies, measures that will reduce out-of-band emissions, and to forgo terrestrial use of the downlink band closest to the GPS signal.
Specifically, Deere said it would not object to the venture’s network in the 1526-1536 MHz, 1627.5-1637.5 MHz, 1646.5-1656.5 MHz and 1670-1700 MHz bands, as long as the network deployment keeps to the agreed operational parameters.
Their agreement, which settled a lawsuit filed by Deere in November 2013, could lead to similar deals with other GPS specialists such as Trimble (NASDAQ:TRMB) and Garmin (NASDAQ:GRMN).
LightSquared CEO Doug Smith said the move creates a framework that “enables GPS and broadband to peacefully coexist”, adding that it will continue to search for a consensus with industry and the US government that will enable it to use its spectrum.
The venture has been in peace talks since the FCC banned it from launching commercial services due to concerns that its frequencies could interfere with GPS devices, helping push it into Chapter 11 protection in May 2012.
One of the options it has previously floated involves using government spectrum to compensate for not using some of its own airwaves.
LightSquared’s bankruptcy case was highly litigious but a turning point in the group’s battle with the GPS industry came in July, when it agreed to pause legal action with Trimble to seek a settlement.
According to the satellite/terrestrial venture, the break would free up the technical staff it needed to help resolve the spectrum interference concerns, as well as helping to cut litigation costs.