rint, which seemed to indicate that the terrestrial part of the enterprise was still on track and viable, no matter what happened with the satellite part (which will now, no doubt, be presented as a peripheral aspect of the build plan). A cynical observer might conclude that leaked details are often preferable to properly presented details because crucial flaws can remain obscured behind a wall of "no comment, we are in a quiet period" (a stance that has become more company moto than PR tactic, and deployed by many companies, not just LightSquared). Now, the very latest twist in tail circuit is that LightSquared has a produced satellite spectrum 'Plan B' that nobody appears to have guessed existed. The line is that instead of using the spectrum it was initially going to use for the satellite part of its LTE service, it has produced another chunk of spectrum which will serve almost as well and is parked further away from the spectrum used by the Global Positioning System SO won't interfere with it. This spectrum was to be used later on in the system's development plan, the company has indicated. To bring this 10-MHz block of spectrum into operation, however, it will have to work with satellite operator, Inmarsat, to roll out services. So problem solved? Of course not. SaveourGPS.org says the new plan is a figleaf. Even at the lower end of the MSS band (which it's using) the LightSquared service would still interfere with many GPS receivers as well as the precision receivers that LightSquared itself has conceded will be affected. The results of the interference study, it says, already confirm this - the only way forward is for LightSquared is to move out of the MSS band completely. This story has some way to run yet. The moral of this tale is of course it is really important to do technology due diligence before you throw millions and sometimes billions of dollars at a business plan. But now let's go back to that July 2007 technology topic. Satellite Networks In July 2007 dual-mode networks that combine satellite a