It's all speculation now, but it appears that LightSquared's ascendancy, coming at the same time Clearwire (Nasdaq: CLWR) is roiling in turmoil, could prove advantageous to the cable industry.
The most recent LightSquared news is that the 4G wholesaler has signed up retailer Best Buy as a wholesale customer for its LTE network and is targeting a joint trial in the first quarter of 2012. Best Buy currently runs an MVNO with cable's buddy Sprint (NYSE: S)--the lead investor in Clearwire and, speculation has it, a company also interested in working a deal with LightSquared. The Best Buy announcement falls on the heels of LightSquared deals to provide roaming capabilities to Leap Wireless' Cricket service and partner with Open Range to deliver wireless access to rural areas.
In a speech at CTIA, LightSquared CEO Sanjiv Ahuja hinted at more industries that could use a wholesale wireless outlet, leading Venture Beat to conclude "by far the most interesting of these was the potential for wired broadband providers like cable operators to extend their offerings to wireless."
For more:
- VentureBeat has this story
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