Sprint Cancels LightSquared LTE Deal - kwanparmlaidern

Dash Nextel has terminated its 15-year spectrum-hosting agreement with LightSquared, eliminating the manque indiscriminate mobile operator's primary carrier partnership even as the U.S. Federal Communications Military commission seeks to shut up pour down its meshing plans.

The shell out, which the companies announced last July, called for Sprint to server LightSquared's controversial 1.6GHz spectrum on its Network Vision infrastructure, in effect letting LightSquared piggyback on Sprint's network and save itself United States of America$13 jillio over Eight years. For this, LightSquared was to pay up Sprint $9 billion in cash in and grant it $4.5 billion worth of credits to use LightSquared's spectrum for its own services.

Dash prolonged the partnership twice from its fresh termination date at the end of last year, and the plenty invalid on Th. In a statement on Friday, the fourth-largest U.S. mobile carrier cited the unresolved GPS (GPS) encumbrance issues that have prevented LightSquared from receiving FCC approval for its LTE network. On February 14, the FCC planned steps that would shut pop LightSquared's hybrid artificial satellite-LTE network plan.

"We remain open to considering ulterior spectrum hosting agreements with LightSquared, should they resolve these interference issues, too as other interested spectrum holders," Sprint said. Sprint has returned $65 jillio in prepayments that LightSquared successful to cover costs that Dash ne'er incurred. The companies had halted deployment design and implementation on the project late last yr.

Sprint said its Network Sight rollout clay on schedule, with a Sprint LTE service launch set for the middle of this year, and the termination of the deal won't have a material effect on its finances.

In a financial statement, LightSquared said the cancellation was in the best interest group of both parties, given the regulatory delays. The modification will enhance LightSquared's capital and give it much flexibility, the company said.

"Dash has been a valued partner to LightSquared and we seem frontwards to on the job together in the future," said Doug Smith, chief meshwork officeholder and meantime co-CEO, in the statement.

The deal with LightSquared was one element of a complex plan by Sprint to bond sufficient spectrum to offer a robust LTE service. Sprint also plans to reuse spectrum currently dedicated to other services and to coordinate its LTE plans with Clearwire, in which it is the biggest shareholder.

Clearwire currently supplies Sprint's WiMax 4G network, and it plans to build its own LTE network. Since the FCC acted to close down LightSquared's LTE plans, two wholesale customers of the startup have signed agreements with Clearwire.

Stephen Lawson covers mobile, storage and networking technologies for The IDG News Service. Follow Stephen along Twitter at @sdlawsonmedia. Stephen's e-send address is stephen_lawson@idg.com

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/469149/sprint_cancels_lightsquared_lte_deal.html

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