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LightSquared CEO Sanjiv Ahuja steps down, company remains committed to wireless network
The shakeup continues at LightSquared. Just days after the would-be LTE wholesaler confirmed that it would be cutting its staff by 45 percent, it's now announced that CEO Sanjiv Ahuja has resigned from his position, although he will continue to serve as chairman of the board. Chief network officer Doug Smitand and chief financial officer Marc Montagner will serve as co-chief operating officers as the company searches for a new CEO. What's more, LightSquared has also announced that billionaire backer Philip A. Falcone has been appointed to the company's board of directors, and he himself has reiterated the company's intent to build out its wireless network, noting that it is "committed to working with the appropriate entities to find a solution to the recent regulatory issues." The company's official announcement can be found after the break.
Leaked draft shows LightSquared's network interferes with 'great majority' of GPS receivers, company pushes back
According to leaked reports from government test drafts, LightSquared's technology causes "harmful interference" to the majority of GPS receivers. Addressing the allegations, LightSquared called the conclusions "patently false." It added, "We are outraged by the illegal leak of incomplete government data to news organizations. This breach attempts to draw an inaccurate conclusion to negatively influence the future of LightSquared and narrowly serve the business interests of the GPS industry." The company believes tests are inconclusive because they were completed at power levels up to 15 times higher than those that would be used in practice. By ignoring its commitment to work at a lower level to minimize interference, the company believes the conclusions are erroneous. It's important to note, however, that the NTIA will make the final determination about how many devices passed or failed, rather than the documents makers. And that assessment has not yet been made. Despite the ongoing dispute, the company has already managed to secure 30 partners ranging from Sprint to Best Buy, all hoping to cash in on a promised $7 per gigabyte price point. The FCC has given LightSquared the go-ahead to build the network, but will not allow for activation until approving the final round of government testing. Amar Toor contributed to this report.
Best Buy signs up for LightSquared's wholesale LTE service
First it was Cricket Wireless, and now another piece of LightSquared's puzzle has fallen into place -- it's just announced at CTIA that Best Buy has signed on as a wholesale customer for the yet-to-be-launched LTE network. Details on the agreement are still pretty light, as you might expect, but Best Buy will apparently use the network to bolster its Best Buy Connect wireless service, which currently relies on Sprint and Clearwire's 3G and 4G networks. Exactly when that will happen isn't clear, unfortunately, but LightSquared CEO Sanjiv Ahuja says the first trials are expected to begin in the first quarter of next year.
