Wireless Internet in Las Vegas
The testing of a new wireless internet service in Las Vegas could cause GPS outages in the city. Broadband developer LightSquared will begin testing its emerging 4G wireless network in the Las Vegas area this week during the hours after midnight for ten days straight. If the test is successful, Las Vegas could become one of the first US cities to get on a super-high speed internet grid that is independent of any service provider.
However, the city government is warning that if the test fails it could compromise or even black out the GPS system in the area, which would render everything from car navigation systems to air traffic control systems temporarily useless. The problem is one of bandwidth, as the frequency that LightSquared is using to send ground-based wireless signals directly bumps up against one that satellites use to transmit the much weaker GPS signals. There is a high chance that in the vicinity of LightSquared's ground transmitters , those signals are going to get crossed.