Sprint gives LightSquared six weeks to get its sh*t together
As much as some people love to hate Sprint's partnership with Clearwire, one thing is clear: Sprint has learned from its past mistakes. This is apparent in Sprint's latest dealings with LightSquared, the company that is supposed to be helping Sprint build out its new LTE network.
According to a Sprint spokesperson, Sprint has basically given LightSquared an ultimatum: get approval from the FCC to build out your network by mid-March, or our agreement is null and void. LightSquared's difficulties lie in the fact that, as it turns out, the frequency on which they are deploying LTE interferes with GPS satellites, and they can't seem to come up with a solution that can satisfy all of the concerned parties. Due to pressure from the GPS industry, the FCC has therefore, at least temporarily, refused to give LightSquared the permission it needs to continue its buildout.
Lucky for Sprint, although it would be nice to fall back onto LightSquared when necessary, it is still well on its way to deploying LTE service and devices by mid-year. In any case, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
[CNET]
