GPS industry and new cellular carrier spar over interference issue

The GPS industry and a new cellular phone carrier continue to battle over development of a new wireless broadband system, which the industry says will cause widespread jamming of sensitive Global Positioning System signals used for everything from smart maps in cars to aircraft navigation.

LightSquared plans to develop a nationwide cellular network that uses satellites and up to 40,000 high-powered land-based transmitters. The company intends to market its service to rural areas that do not currently have broadband service, a key reason the Federal Communications Commission approved LightSquared's hybrid satellite/terrestrial network on Jan. 26. FCC directed the company to work with the GPS industry to determine the potential effect its terrestrial transmitters, which operate in the 1525-1559 MHz and 1626.5-1660.5 MHz bands, would have on GPS systems that operate in the nearby 1559-1610 MHz bands.