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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

LightSquared To Solve Its GPS Issue And Bring Wireless Competition

LightSquared wants to bring new competition into the broadband space. The concern is that their wireless platform is on a frequency that competes with GPS devices. But they now think they have a solution. "LightSquared, which is building a nationwide 4G LTE wireless broadband network using spectrum that is adjacent to the spectrum GPS device makers use, said it has developed receivers with GPS device manufacturer Javad GNSS that will eliminate concerns that the GPS community has brought forth regarding how its service would interfere with precision GPS devices."

It could add another competitor into a not so crowded wireless world offering connectivity and content to mobile devices. Could this new broadband spectrum be used to compete with cable, encouraging cord cutting for IPTV? Could it be a less expensive alternative to Verizon and AT&T? "LightSquared is building its nationwide wireless broadband network to sell capacity to other service providers, as well as retailers looking to offer wireless broadband service. The company has already signed partnerships with companies, such as Leap Wireless and Best Buy." The possibilities are there. LightSquared has the potential to bring more competition into the broadband landscape.

UltraViolet Makes Appearance Thanks To The Smurfs

Is your DVD player UltraViolet compatible? Does knowing a DVD title includes UltraViolet appealing to you? Wait, you haven't heard of UltraViolet. Well then you are definitely not alone. "UltraViolet is a "digital locker" system designed by the Hollywood-led Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem to let users access their movies and TV content through any UltraViolet-compatible service or device, such as PCs, tablets, cable set-tops and smartphones." Hopefully by the time that CES rolls around, UltraViolet will be the hot buzz word.

The release of new platforms always involves a careful balance of content. And seems to ask the age-old question of which comes first, the chicken or the egg. In this case, Sony's release of DVD titles, including The Smurfs, recognizes that consumers respond to content to run their machines. And while Sony is the first to release titles with UltraViolet authentication, other studios will follow.

Can it jumpstart the DVD industry or will it find more acceptance with consumers seeking content anywhere via their cable provider? And with Apple on the sidelines, what will its cloud-based competitor do differently? For consumers seeking to access content outside their home on their PC or mobile device, the cloud is bringing the library to us, without requiring us to download and save on a hard drive. Good news in a connected world.