LightSquared NM test runs afoul of first responders' GPS

LightSquared, the hybrid cellular/satellite wireless option that some believe could be a fourth generation mobile outlet for the cable industry, has run afoul of public responders in tests conducted in New Mexico.

Bill Range, director of New Mexico's E911 program reported that April tests of the service resulted in "substantial concerns that the LightSquared network will cause interference to GPS signals and jeopardize 911 and public safety nationwide."

State police cars parked directly under a LightSquared cell tower experienced "system failure." When driving around the test site in Alamogordo (a neighbor of nearby White Sands missile range) cars continued to receive "incorrect" information. Ambulances reportedly could not establish any connection within 60 yards of the tower.

LightSquared is testing interference issues in cooperation with the GPS industry and multiple federal agencies through June in Las Vegas suburb Boulder City.

For more:
- The American Surveyor has this story

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