Ambitious US startup LightSquared has signed its first customer, wireless vendor Airspan, with the emerging smart grid market as the target.
Airspan will sell LightSquared’s 1.4 GHz connectivity and its own wireless solutions to US utility companies.
Backed by private equity firm Harbinger, LightSquared plans to build an LTE-satellite wholesale network across the US, covering 100 million people by the end of 2012. It has issued a $7 billion LTE network contract to Nokia Siemens.
“Airspan will market the 1.4 GHz wireless backhaul solution, including spectrum, equipment and services for smart grid applications in the electric, gas and water utility sectors in the US,” the Florida-based firm said in a statement.
It said access to licensed spectrum was the “missing link” in building out wireless smart grid communications for backhaul and for last-mile access.
“The combination of equipment and licensed spectrum eliminates the problem of relying on interference-susceptible shared frequencies for mission critical applications,” said Airspan CTO Paul Senior.
LightSquared chief marketing officer Frank Boulben said the deal was consistent with its goal of “enabling improved spectrum use with an open, wholesale business model.”
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