LightSquared asks FCC to let it use weather-balloon spectrum for LTE

LightSquared is hoping to use weather balloon spectrum to get its LTE network up and running. The company said it wants to combine its 1.6 GHz L-Band satellite spectrum with the spectrum the government provides for weather balloons in a spectrum-sharing arrangement. LightSquared entered into bankruptcy protection earlier this year after the FCC decided to revoke the company's conditional waiver to launch service. That decision came after government tests concluded there was no workable solution to GPS interference concerns posed by LightSquared's spectrum. The company has now submitted to the FCC a proposal under which the company would combine 5 MHz it uses for satellite service at 1670-1675 MHz with frequencies in the 1675-1680 MHz band, currently used by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration weather balloons. Such an arrangement would give the company 10 MHz for downstream LTE traffic and LightSquared would employ another pair of bands totaling 20 MHz--which it uses for satellite services now--for LTE traffic going upstream from users' mobile devices. There is no timeline on if or when the FCC will make a decision on LightSquared's proposal. Article