please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . learn how and when to remove these template messages this article needs to be updated . please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information . august 2014 the neutrality of this article is disputed . relevant discussion may be found on the talk page . please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met . august 2014 learn how and when to remove this template message learn how and when to remove this template message ligado networks type private industry wireless internet service founded july 20 2010 founder philip falcone headquarters reston virginia united states area served united states key people chairman and chief executive officer douglas smith products wholesale integrated wireless 4g lte satellite broadband mobile broadband owner centerbridge partners lp fortress investment group llc and j.p. morgan chase & co. controlling owners 1 website ligado.com ligado networks is an american satellite communications company developing a hybrid satellite terrestrial network to support 5g applications . the company was formerly known as lightsquared which sought to develop a wholesale 4g lte wireless broadband communications network integrated with satellite coverage across the united states using a block of frequencies located near the band used by the global positioning system gps . however the issue of interference using high powered ground transmitters in spectrum intended for low powered signals from satellites caused problems . on february 5 2015 a federal district court judge in manhattan dismissed many but not all of the claims in litigation wherein lightsquared and its investors had sued various gps companies alleging breach of contract and unjust enrichment for selling gps receivers designed to trespass on lightsquared s spectrum . 2 3 on february 14 2012 the u.s. federal communications commission fcc moved to bar lightsquared s planned national broadband network after being informed by the national telecommunications and information administration ntia the federal agency that coordinates spectrum uses for the military and other federal government entities that there is no practical way to mitigate potential interference at this time . 4 5 lightsquared challenged the fcc s action . despite negotiating with creditors 6 on may 14 2012 lightsquared filed for bankruptcy . 7 it has since been rebranded as ligado networks . 8 contents 1 origins 2 integrated 4g lte satellite network 3 spectrum 3.1 agreement with inmarsat 4 fcc authorization 5 interference issues 6 controversy and congressional committee investigation 7 references 8 further reading 9 external links origins edit ligado network traces its roots back to 1988 and was known as american mobile satellite corporation and later as mobile satellite ventures after a merger between motient corporation and tmi communications . it was formerly known as skyterra a company that provided mobile satellite communications services . the company has operated in the north american market with two geostationary satellites since 1995 . msat 2 is licensed in the united states and was launched in 1995 . msat 1 is licensed in canada and was launched in 1996 . the company rebranded to lightsquared and then to ligado networks in 2016 . while operating under the name lightsquared the company previously received 2.9 billion in assets from harbinger capital partners and affiliates as well as more than 2.3 billion in debt and equity financing . 9 lightsquared s skyterra 1 launched from the baikonur cosmodrome in kazakhstan on november 14 2010 . 10 the satellite one of the largest commercial satellites ever built 11 was launched aboard a russian proton m briz m rocket 12 weighs 5.4 tons and carries the largest commercial reflector antenna ever put into space . 13 integrated 4g lte satellite network edit as lightsquared the company initially proposed to provide wholesale network capacity to a limited number of ground nodes . it later pivoted and broadened its offering to wireline and wireless communication service providers ; cable operators ; device manufacturers ; web players ; and content providers . 14 lightsquared intended to sell its service to retailers and device makers so that lte wireless broadband service would be bundled into products . 15 the integrated 4g lte satellite network also was aimed at serving public sector projects including emergency preparedness and communications in times of crisis . 14 in july 2010 lightsquared announced its selection of nokia siemens networks to build its network . 16 the fcc described the company s plan as a way of enhancing competition and speeding the deployment of mobile broadband in the united states . 17 spectrum edit ligado networks controls a block of the united states spectrum 1525 1559 mhz in the l band . it received fcc authorization in november 2004 to use this spectrum to build a nationwide 4g lte wireless broadband network integrated with satellite coverage . citation needed in january 2011 lightsquared received a conditional waiver allowing terrestrial only use of this spectrum which would result in a much larger number 40 000 of higher power base stations and present a greater gps interference problem . 15 the spectrum allocated for the gps l1 signal by the fcc is 1559 to 1610 mhz . 18 gps satellites orbit at an altitude of approximately 20 200 km 12 550 mi . 19 agreement with inmarsat edit ligado networks has a cooperation agreement with inmarsat another major spectrum holder in the l band 20 that increases the amount of contiguous spectrum over north america available to both companies . on january 28 2011 the company then known as lightsquared triggered an option to implement phase 2 of the cooperation agreement which will add further capacity to its network . the agreements involve periodic payments to inmarsat totaling 337.5 million for the first phase and 115 million a year over 30 months for phase 2 . 21 22 fcc authorization edit on march 1 2001 ligado networks predecessor mobile satellite ventures applied to the fcc to use a highly innovative and spectrum efficient combination of spot beam satellites and terrestrial base stations to substantially improve coverage capacity and reliability of mobile communications without using any additional spectrum . 23 on january 26 2011 the federal communications commission granted a request for modification of its authority for an ancillary terrestrial component . the conditional waiver allowed the company which was at the time using the lightsquare name and its wholesale customers to offer terrestrial only devices rather than having to incorporate both satellite and terrestrial services . 24 we find good cause to grant lightsquared a conditional waiver of section 25.149 b 4 of the commission s rules for services provided by lightsquared using its mss mobile satellite services l band spectrum the fcc noted in its report . 25 the waiver was conditioned on resolving harmful interference to gps . 4 the fcc s modification order to allow terrestrial only devices onto lightsquared s network was filed on november 19 2010 with comments due on december 2 2010 and reply comments due on december 9 2010 . this time frame had the us thanksgiving holiday squarely in the middle of it and allowed little official time for correspondence six business days between filing and comments due five business days between comments due and reply comments due . several corporations and industry organizations felt that this was a major modification to lightsquared s mss atc license and wanted a 30 day comment period . an fcc spokesman said the fcc waiver approval granted to lightsquared was based on the merits of its proposal following a process that included ample opportunity for comment . 26 companies that provide global positioning systems in addition to the united states air force the operator of the gps system opposed the fcc waiver saying that more time was needed to resolve concerns that lightsquared s service might interfere with their satellite based offerings . lightsquared promised to work with gps providers and give the fcc monthly updates on a resolution to interference concerns . 27 in october 2011 lightsquared threatened to sue the fcc if its network is not approved . 28 of february 14 2012 the fcc initiated proceedings to vacate lightsquared s conditional waiver order based on the ntia s conclusion that there was currently no practical way to mitigate potential gps interference . 4 interference issues edit in a january 12 2011 letter to the fcc national telecommunications and information administration ntia chief lawrence strickling said that lightsquared s hybrid mobile broadband services raise significant interference concerns . grant of the lightsquared waiver would create a new interference environment and it is incumbent on the fcc to deal with the resulting interference issues before any interference occurs . several federal agencies with vital concerns about this spectrum band including the departments of defense transportation and homeland security have informed ntia that they believe the fcc should defer action on the lightsquared waiver until these interference concerns are satisfactorily addressed . 29 on february 17 2011 former deputy secretary of defense bill lynn along with the head of the usaf space command gen. william l. shelton expressed concerns about potential gps interference from the lightsquared network . 30 on april 5 2011 with respect to concerns raised by the u.s. gps industry council and ntia about lightsquared s mss atc operations the fcc states that lightsquared can not commence offering a commercial terrestrial service until the fcc concludes that the harmful interference concerns have been resolved . they also emphasize that responsibility for protecting services rests not only on new entrants but also on incumbent users themselves who must use receivers that reasonably discriminate against reception of signals outside their allocated spectrum . in the case of gps the fcc notes that lightsquared s operations had been anticipated for at least 8 years at lower power levels which would seamlessly interoperate with satellite services . 31 gps receivers have relatively sensitive front ends because of the extremely weak signal strength 32 generally have little filtering to further reduce the signal loss and are subject to interference from high power signals in the l band something made worse when an active antenna system containing a lna is added to the system . when mss atc mobile satellite service ancillary terrestrial component operation was first proposed the number of atc transmitters was thought to be small because it was part of an integrated system with the satellite . 33 lightsquared coordinated with the other l band mss providers in order to expand its spectrum and now controls a nearly contiguous 20 mhz section through deals with other mss providers coordination with multiple international agencies and the us fcc international bureau . 34 with the possibility of tens of thousands of base stations that transmit in the satellite to earth part of the l band mss spectrum closest to the gps spectrum the high power signals typically 70 dbm will interfere with far weaker gps signals from space typically 150 to 130 dbm at ground level . 35 the gps receivers specs never intended to deal with this situation so they will have problems . 36 however fcc chairman julius genachowski stated on may 31 2011 that it should be no surprise to anyone involved in the lightsquared matter that the company was planning for some time to deploy a major terrestrial network in the spectrum adjacent to gps and that all interested parties had ample time to comment in advance of these orders granting the request to increase the power level of the base stations to the exact level the gps industry is now criticizing . indeed the harbinger skyterra license transfer proceeding was pending at the commission for nearly a year . 37 since 2002 lightsquared worked with the ntia and the gps industry to avoid interference between lightsquared s network and gps . lightsquared agreed to operate its services within strict technical requirements . lightsquared s predecessor agreed with gps industry representatives to protect gps with