Despite bold predictions by LightSquared that the firm’s proposed mobile satellite service would soon win FCC approval, Department of Transportation officials on Wednesday said the company’s 4G broadband technology does indeed interfere with “the majority” of global positioning system receivers and poses dangerous disruption to aviation safety systems.
The findings, announced after recent testing by the FAA and Department of Defense, throw into serious doubt claims by LightSquared that its ground tower network would interfere only with a limited number of GPS receivers, and not high-performance aviation equipment. The DOT also said the LightSquared network interferes with TAWS, which obtains its position data from GPS. Over the next several weeks, the analysis of the findings will be completed and a final report will be sent to the FCC, said Transportation Department officials.
