LightSquared
and
PCTEL
Collaboration
Solves
High
Precision
GPS
Interference
Oct.
27,
2011
LightSquared,
has
collaborated
with
PCTEL
to
resolve
concerns
over
high
precision
GPS
receivers.
PCTEL
has
developed
an
antenna
that
will
allow
existing
high
precision
users
to
retrofit
their
GPS
devices
to
make
them
compatible
with
LightSquared's
network.
This
antenna
provides
high
precision
GPS
users
with
another
in a
series
of
solutions
to
make
their
equipment
LightSquared-compatible.
"PCTEL
has
developed
GPS
antenna
solutions
that
have
solved
a
variety
of
interference
issues
that
others
said
were
unsolvable.
Their
wideband
antenna
provides
an
efficient
and
elegant
solution
for
thousands
of
high
precision
device
users,"
said
Martin
Harriman,
executive
vice
president
of
ecosystem
development
and
satellite
business
at
LightSquared.
PCTEL's
antenna
solutions
address
applications
including
public
safety,
agriculture,
construction
and
aviation.
The
new
antenna
will
be
independently
tested
with
a
range
of
receivers
at
the
world-renowned
Alcatel-Lucent
Bell
Labs
in
Murray
Hill,
NJ.
"Over
the
last
year,
we
have
worked
closely
with
LightSquared
to
develop
a
narrowband
solution
to
interference
issues.
Our
current
work
with
LightSquared
will
enable
wideband
high
precision
users
to
have
a
state-of-the-art
solution
for
their
unique
positioning
needs.
We
look
forward
to
developing
other
multiband
and
wideband
high
rejection
GPS
antenna
products
with
LightSquared
to
bring
high
precision
technology
to
new
levels,"
said
Jeff
Miller,
PCTEL's
senior
vice
president
of
sales
and
marketing.
Despite
claims
by
some
GPS
device
manufacturers
that
an
interference
solution
would
take
ten
years
and
billions
of
dollars
to
develop,
the
private
marketplace
has
continued
to
develop
inexpensive
solutions
using
existing
technology
in
just
a
matter
of
weeks.
PCTEL
is
the
third
company
to
collaborate
with
LightSquared
on a
solution
to
high-precision
GPS
interference
issues.
Earlier
this
month,
GPS
device
maker
Javad
GNSS
announced
the
design
of
antennas
that
can
be
retrofitted
onto
existing
devices
and
the
development
of
new
receivers
that
are
compatible
with
LightSquared's
network.
Additionally,
Partron
America
has
created
a
filtering
component
that
costs
only
$6.
These
solutions
will
undergo
extensive
National
Telecommunications
and
Information
Administration
(NTIA)
and
Federal
Communications
Commission
(FCC)
testing
in
the
coming
weeks.
Preliminary
testing
results
leave
LightSquared
confident
that
the
debate
over
its
network
and
interference
from
GPS
signals
will
be
resolved.
