LightSquared's First LTE Modem: Hands On

ORLANDO - This modem won't destroy GPS. Hopefully. New 4G upstart LightSquared announced its first wholesale deals here at the CTIA trade show, selling high-speed Internet through Best Buy stores and to Cricket Wireless customers. Today I spent a bit of time with the carrier's first USB modem, a slim model designed by California firm Anydata.

The Anydata LightSquared modem packs a lot of power into a surprisingly slim device. It's a little broad, but flat and not clunky. The white modem has a snap-off cap and two low-key lights to show power and signal.

The technologies in here are very unusual, though: the modem will combine L-band 4G LTE, satellite connectivity, 3G CDMA and GPS, Anydata VP of sales and marketing Raymond Kim said.

"We can pack a lot of technology into a small form factor," Kim said.

While LightSquared hasn't discussed 3G roaming for its customers, Kim said he expects LightSquared's partners will offer some sort of nationwide 3G solution, at least for the several years it takes LightSquared to fully build out its network.

"You want customers to be able to seamlessly enjoy data wherever they go," he said.

Kim said Anydata isn't getting involved in the dispute between LightSquared and the GPS industry. Some GPS makers, such as Garmin, say that LightSquared's ground-based use of spectrum formerly reserved for satellite services will interfere with GPS reception.

"I certainly hope it isn't a concern," Kim said.

About Our Expert

Sascha Segan

Former Lead Analyst, Mobile

My Experience

I'm that 5G guy. I've actually been here for every "G." I reviewed well over a thousand products during 18 years working full-time at PCMag.com, including every generation of the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy S. I also wrote a weekly newsletter, Fully Mobilized, where I obsessed about phones and networks.

My Areas of Expertise

US and Canadian mobile networks
Mobile phones released in the US
iPads, Android tablets, and ebook readers
Mobile hotspots
Big data features such as Fastest Mobile Networks and Best Work-From-Home Cities

The Technology I Use

Being cross-platform is critical for someone in my position. In the US, the mobile world is split pretty cleanly between iOS and Android. So I think it's really important to have Apple, Android and Windows devices all in my daily orbit.

I use a Lenovo ThinkPad Carbon X1 for work and a 2021 Apple MacBook Pro for personal use. My current phone is a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, although I'm probably going to move to an Android foldable. Most of my writing is either in Microsoft OneNote or a free notepad app called Notepad++. Number crunching, which I do often for those big data stories, is via Microsoft Excel, DataGrip for MySQL, and Tableau.

In terms of apps and cloud services, I use both Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive heavily, although I also have iCloud because of the three Macs and three iPads in our house. I subscribe to way too many streaming services.

My primary tablet is a 12.9-inch, 2020-model Apple iPad Pro. When I want to read a book, I've got a 2018-model flat-front Amazon Kindle Paperwhite. My home smart speakers run Google Home, and I watch a TCL Roku TV. And Verizon Fios keeps me connected at home.

My first computer was an Atari 800 and my first cell phone was a Qualcomm Thin Phone. I still have very fond feelings about both of them.

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