Sprint Faces Spectrum Shortage Without LightSquared Deal

By Kate Knibbs | Wed Mar 07, 2012 2:31 pm

Sprint plans to cut ties with LightSquared, raising questions about how the carrier intends to weather the spectrum crunch.

Bloomberg reports Sprint intends to end its network-sharing agreement with LightSquared after the Federal Communications Commission barred its planned network because of potential interference with crucial GPS networks. LightSquared is still trying to overcome its regulatory hurdles, but Sprint's decision indicates the potential partnership is finished, and the carrier will focus on more fruitful spectrum deals.

LightSquared received a 30-day extension to find a solution to its problems, but sources say Sprint is unwilling to extend it further. The carrier may be acting prudently by nixing the arrangement, as LightSquared has not made much progress finding a workable solution.

The LightSquared decision comes at a time when demands on Sprint's network are increasing, making its need for airwaves more urgent. Sprint still boasts an unlimited data plan, and uses the package to differentiate itself from leading carriers like Verizon and AT&T. The company also now carries the iPhone, which allows for greater data consumption, so boundless data use is likely to overwhelm the network.

The decision may also impact Sprint's scheduled 4G LTE rollout, since it leaves the carrier without a partner able to support the system. Sprint is expected to rely on its spectrum agreement with Clearwire to pick up the slack, but Clearwire's LTE system isn't set to debut until 2013.

The carrier is considering an agreement with T-Mobile, but the companies will have to tread carefully to avoid an FCC rejection. Last fall, AT&T's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile's failed to win regulator approval because of anti-trust concerns.

In the wake of the scuttled T-Mobile deal, AT&T joined Verizon in turning attention to smaller spectrum acquisitions as Sprint waited on LightSquared. Now Sprint faces a shrinking field of eligible allies, making the company's next moves especially crucial, as every major carrier scrambles to gain more spectrum.

Sprint's upcoming split with LightSquared leaves the carrier free to pursue other spectrum partners, as the company's promoted data plans will soon overwhelm its networks without added bandwidth. Sprint will be in a competitive marketplace in its spectrum search, joining other carriers trying to do the same thing, the very situation the company hoped to avoid with its prospective LightSquared partnership.

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Tue Feb 21, 2012 2:14 pm | By
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Wed Feb 15, 2012 3:11 pm | By
Sprint is left scrambling for spectrum, inhibiting its long-term expansion, after the Federal Communications Commission rejected LightSquared's broadband network plan.

Wed Feb 08, 2012 3:58 pm | By
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Terahertz Spectrum Makes Phones 1,000 Times Faster

By Melissa Daniels | Mon Mar 12, 2012 11:48 am

Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh have discovered a way to make smartphones 1,000 times faster using "terahertz" bandwidth, which may provide relief for the spectrum crunch.

The research is just wrapping up, but it offers a glimpse into a solution for the spectrum crunch. Getting away from gigahertz may be the first step, not only out of progress but necessity, as consumers increasingly rely on bandwidth for data-hungry devices. Though many pieces would need to come together before it's implemented for widespread use, the development hints at an alternative solution to the traditional spectrum problem.

Scientists on the research team developed a frequency comb that spans 100 terahertz bandwidth, using the sliver of electronic spectrum between infrared and microwave light. By exploring "a silicon-based optical modulator" in the terahertz bandwidth range, the research discovered benefits in taking advantage of a different band of spectrum.

"The ability to modulate light with such a bandwidth may increase the amount of information carried by more than 1,000 times when compared to the volume carried with today's technologies," said Hrvoje Petek, physics and chemistry professor at University of Pittsburgh who led the research team. "Needless to say, this has been a long-awaited discovery in the field."

Bandwidth issues plague carriers and customers alike as millions of people increasingly rely on smartphones, as well as tablets. Mobile carriers are trying to find ways to compensate for ever-shrinking amount of bandwidth, either by throttling users, charging developers for creating data-heavy apps or creating paths around bandwidth limitations like turbocharge options.

But using terahertz bandwidth promises to surpass the difficulties of gigahertz spectrum models. The potential shows progress for the mobile industry at a time when technological developments are surpassing the infrastructure they were built on.

Before data downloads happen in the blink of an eye, however, the infrastructure of the mobile industry would need to drastically adapt. Aside from reorganizing spectrum regulation at the federal level and carriers switching their resources to a new spectrum, manufacturers would be charged with creating progressive devices that may receive data transmissions from the terahertz frequency region.

Researchers taking the lead on new discoveries for today's technology is one way the mobile industry might find answers to the spectrum crunch question. In the case of University of Pittsburgh's terahertz team, their work may find a way around this problem while launching faster speeds that use highly charged resources yet to be tapped, opening new doors for the communications industry.

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