Citing the need for midband spectrum in the U.S., several entities are throwing their support behind Ligado Networks’ proposal to deploy a terrestrial network using 40 MHz of midband spectrum in the 1500 MHz to 1700 MHz range.

For years now, a number of wireless players have been promising that there is demand among enterprises and others for private wireless networks. The argument is that utilities, cities, manufacturing companies and others have specific applications that can’t or shouldn’t run over public wireless networks, and so they will need to build their own networks—and will spend money to do it.

You get input from management, you get input from customers, you get input from industry. And usually the decision emerges before you. Not always. And when it doesn't, you have to be able to make a decision. Sometimes you go on gut.

“We also will be building customized, private networks on licensed spectrum. And that’s where it’s different. So, there’s customized, private networks today, but it’s enterprises that need that control over their own network, and out of necessity they’ve gone out and built it themselves using unlicensed spectrum. They don’t do it because they want to become network designers and operators, they do it because they want to have control over their infrastructure. They want to customize it for their own needs,” Smith said. “That’s where we come in. We have the expertise, we can offer turnkey services to build custom private networks and what’s really different is that you can do it on licensed spectrum,” the midband spectrum Ligado expects the FCC to soon release.

After about five years in the making, Ligado Networks executives say they believe federal decision-makers have the last piece of information they need to approve its plan to operate a terrestrial LTE network alongside GPS devices. That’s because, according to Ligado, a 428-page National Advanced Spectrum and Communications Test Network (NASCTN) report released last week...

Ligado Networks announced an agreement with GPS manufacturer Topcon, removing another barrier as it works to bring a 5G network to market. Ligado was known as LightSquared until the company rebranded in February after emerging from bankruptcy and settling interference disputes with GPS vendors Deere, Garmin and Trimble. It has also reached a similar agreement...

Ligado Networks is pushing ahead with its plan to build a 5G network, requesting that the FCC bar the terrestrial use of a 10 MHz block of airwaves near GPS frequencies and vowing to use power levels that defer to existing standards for airline safety and performance. Ligado was known as LightSquared until the company...