LightSquared, the satellite-based LTE wholesale network being built in the US, faces potential delays due to interference concerns. According to a Bloomberg report, the US defense, transportation and homeland security department has asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to defer action on LightSquared’s request to modify its satellite license to build a nationwide mobile network. In a letter to the FCC, Lawrence Strickling, assistant secretary of communications and information in the Commerce Department, said that mass-market use of LightSquared’s airwaves would create a “challenging interference environment that must be addressed. It is incumbent on the FCC to deal with the resulting interference issues before any interference occurs.” Global-positioning services, and some maritime and aviation emergency communications may be affected, he added.

Hedge-fund backed LightSquared needs federal approval before it can launch its network. The FCC is reviewing LightSquared’s request and will “ensure that any approvals would not result in harmful interference to current licensed users,” Julius Knapp, chief of the agency’s Office of Engineering and Technology, told Bloomberg. LightSquared is scheduled to begin trials of its network in Baltimore, Denver, Las Vegas and Phoenix early this year and is investing US$7 billion over the next eight years to build-out the network via a deal with Nokia Siemens Networks. The network will compete with the LTE networks being built by conventional (land-based) US operators such as Verizon Wireless and AT&T.