LightSquareds

LightSquareds refers to the LightSquared venture and its related corporate entities that sought to deploy a nationwide wireless broadband network in the United States by leveraging satellite spectrum in the L-band. The project aimed to provide wholesale 4G-LTE capacity, with satellite coverage augmenting terrestrial towers to deliver nationwide reach to retail carriers and service providers.

Originating in the late 2000s from an investment group led by Harbinger Capital Partners, the LightSquareds venture combined spectrum licenses previously held by SkyTerra with a new terrestrial network. The business model relied on selling wholesale capacity to mobile virtual network operators rather than directly serving consumers.

Technical and regulatory challenges emerged. The proposed L-band deployment overlapped with frequencies used by GPS receivers, raising concerns about interference that could affect aviation, surveying, and consumer GPS devices. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission and GPS industry groups required extensive testing, which found potential interference at several power levels, effectively blocking deployment as originally planned. The venture faced mounting debt and canceled or postponed deployment plans.

In the early 2010s, LightSquareds filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In subsequent proceedings, the structure reorganized and later divested most of its assets; the spectrum licenses and other holdings were allocated to creditors or sold to satisfy debts. The LightSquareds project did not produce a nationwide commercial network, but its attempts influenced debates over spectrum sharing and GPS interference testing in the United States.