Sprint went easy on LightSquared, the newest LTE 4G hopeful, after it missed it's Dec. 31 deadline to resolve its GPS signal problems.
LightSquared now has until mid-March to get approval from the Federal Communications Commission for its spectrum, which interferes with GPS signals, according to Dow Jones Newswires.
While accepting the approval almost three months after its due date might be frustrating, it makes sense for Sprint to cooperate. The two companies entered a 15-year contract in which LightSquared will pay Sprint about $9 billion over 11 years and will allow the nation's third-largest carrier to buy up to 50 percent of LightSquared's L-Band 4G capacity.
While the agreement is attractive for Sprint, LightSquared still faces issues with its spectrum. It's been widely reported that the network is capable of knocking out a significant number of GPS devices, posing a public-safety threat to airlines, law enforcement, and other industries.
LightSquared disagrees with the government's conclusions.
