LightSquared and former FCC chief engineer Edmond Thomas on Wednesday said the GPS test devices that were used by the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Executive Committee (PNT EXCOM) to test its new network were rigged by “manufacturers of GPS receivers and government end users to produce bogus results.” The company said that devices from GPS manufacturers, which have claimed LightSquared’s network interferes with GPS communications, were “cherry picked” in secret and that independent authorities were not allowed to partake or oversee the tests or test results. In addition, LightSquared said the tests focused on obsolete technology that is only used in “niche market devices” and that are “least able to withstand potential interference” from wireless networks. Read on for more.

After a list of the test devices was released to LightSquared, the company found that the only mass market device that reportedly failed the government’s tests actually “performed flawlessly during Technical Working Group” testing. The government also reportedly tested LightSquared’s network at a power level that is 32-times greater than the level at which it will actually operate.

LightSquared is relying on FCC approval to solidify a contract with Sprint to help build out the carrier’s 4G LTE network. Sprint most recently gave LightSquared an additional 30 days to gain FCC approval, but the government has said none of LightSquared’s proposed fixes will help it gain approval.

“Transparency is the only way taxpayers can be assured that the testing process is not manipulated to benefit one particular set of self interests,” the company said in a statement on Wednesday. “LightSquared is confident that a fair process will allow the company to move forward with its plan to deliver wireless broadband to hundreds of millions of consumers.” LightSquared’s full press release follows below.

Former FCC Chief Engineer and LightSquared Question Validity of Test Results Rigged by GPS Industry Insiders

After learning that some devices tested have been out of production for over a decade, the parties call on NTIA to objectively audit testing and apply proposed mitigation standards

RESTON, Va., January 18, 2012 – LightSquared said today that the process used to test GPS devices by Air Force Space Command on behalf of the Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Executive Committee (PNT EXCOM) was rigged by manufacturers of GPS receivers and government end users to produce bogus results, and revealed details of the testing to document its accusations.

PNT EXCOM advises and coordinates among U.S. government agencies on GPS matters and is comprised of representatives from those agencies with GPS expertise. LightSquared has called on the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to objectively re-evaluate this initial round of testing and also to evaluate mitigation proposals the company has proposed. Additionally, the company has called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the NTIA to conduct the second round of tests on high-precision devices at an independent laboratory to ensure objectivity and transparency.

In a call with reporters, Jeff Carlisle, LightSquared’s Executive Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and Public Policy; and Geoff Stearn, LightSquared’s Vice President for Spectrum Development; outlined how GPS industry insiders and government end users manipulated the latest round of tests to generate biased results. Also on the call was Edmond Thomas, former chief engineer at the FCC who explained how fair and accurate testing should be conducted.

1. Testing was shrouded in secrecy, no transparency. The GPS manufacturers cherry-picked the devices in secret without any independent oversight authority in place or input from LightSquared. The GPS manufacturers and the government end users put non-disclosure agreements in place for the PNT EXCOM’s tests, preventing any input by an independent authority or from LightSquared before the tests began. This secrecy made it impossible for independent experts to properly oversee or challenge the process and results, thereby leaving taxpayers who paid for the testing no option but to take the PNT EXCOM’s word for it.

2. The testing protocol deliberately focused on obsolete and niche market devices that were least able to withstand potential interference. When LightSquared finally obtained a list of the devices tested, after all testing in this first phase of tests had been completed, it was able to determine that the testing included many discontinued or niche market devices with poor filters or no filters. The units tested represent less than one percent of the contemporary universe of GPS devices. In fact, the only mass market device alleged to “fail” during this round of testing performed flawlessly during the Technical Working Group testing, which used best practice protocols agreed to by all parties, thus raising doubts about the integrity of PNT EXCOM’s process.

3. The testing standard does not reflect reality. To guarantee favorable results, the PNT EXCOM selected an extremely conservative definition of failure – one dB of interference. Independent experts agree that a one dB threshold can only be detected in laboratory settings and has no impact on GPS positional accuracy or user experience. In fact, GPS devices are designed with the ability to withstand eight dB or more of loss of sensitivity due to man-caused and natural interference. By setting the definition of interference at one dB, the testing was rigged to ensure that most receivers would fail. It should be noted that PNT EXCOM and others have justified the one dB threshold by citing an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) standard. However, that standard explicitly states that it does not apply to general purpose GPS receivers.

GPS and government end users should have opened the process for transparent review, chosen a representative sample of devices that reflect the scope of general purpose GPS receivers in the marketplace today, applied best practice standards to the testing protocol, and – most importantly, the tests should have been conducted by an independent laboratory rather than by the GPS manufacturers themselves, since they had a large incentive to ensure that the tested receivers would not pass the testing.

LightSquared recommends that reporters consider asking PNT EXCOM the following questions to ensure accountability:

Why did the government choose to ignore LightSquared’s proposed power levels?

Why did the government choose a power level 32 times greater than the level at which LightSquared will operate?

Why did the test protocol select the 1dB degradation to noise as the interference standard, since it does not apply to general purpose GPS receivers and GPS units are typically designed with an 8dB level of tolerance?

Who determined what acceptable interference is for the current round of testing?

What is that standard?

Why was the testing conducted using outdated/discontinued devices rather than a representative sample of what is currently in the market?

Isn’t it a violation of conflict of interest laws for representatives of GPS manufacturers to sit on the PNT advisory board and play a central role in its consideration of LightSquared when those companies are actively lobbying on the same issue?

Is it fair that taxpayers funded a testing regime they cannot review?

LightSquared has agreed to meet every technical guideline requested by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), FCC and NTIA and will continue to work in collaboration with the federal government to resolve the GPS interference issues. The secretive behavior of the PNT EXCOM indicates a co-opted process. The inappropriate influence of the private sector on their decision-making has been brought to the attention of NASA’s Inspector General in a separate conflict of interest complaint filed by LightSquared.

LightSquared is asking for fair and transparent oversight of the testing process by the FCC and NTIA, much like the agencies provided in the first round of testing that was openly agreed to by all parties. Transparency is the only way taxpayers can be assured that the testing process is not manipulated to benefit one particular set of self interests. LightSquared is confident that a fair process will allow the company to move forward with its plan to deliver wireless broadband to hundreds of millions of consumers.

Following BGR’s exclusive report on Monday revealing that AT&T’s 4G LTE network has gone live in Chicago, we have received new images confirming that the network is alive and kicking in Atlanta as well. A source has provided BGR with multiple images of AT&T’s 4G LTE service in action, and we have verified that the tester is indeed located in Atlanta, Georgia. Our source in Chicago had trouble finding full service, but Atlanta seems to be blanketed a bit better at this pre-launch stage. Using an AT&T Elevate 4G LTE mobile hotspot, our tester in Atlanta saw download speeds approach 25Mbps and upload speeds in excess of 8Mbps — much faster than the already speedy tests we saw up north. Again, these pre-launch tests do not necessarily represent the data speeds AT&T subscribers will see when the 4G LTE network officially goes live this summer. And just as was the case in Chicago, it is unclear if AT&T’s 4G LTE network has been soft launched in Atlanta or if service will only appear intermittently while the network is being tested. Images showing AT&T 4G LTE speed tests in Atlanta can be seen in our photo gallery, which is linked below.

AT&T’s 4G LTE network went live this past weekend in the Chicago area, and initial speed tests reveal impressive download speeds. AT&T has yet to announce the availability of LTE service in Chicago or any other launch market, but BGR has obtained exclusive images and speed test results from a source who has tested the network there. Ahead of an official launch, AT&T 4G LTE service is likely to be available only intermittently during testing, though it is also possible that Chicago has been soft launched following the launch of AT&T’s first two 4G LTE devices last week. Read on for more.

Our source used an AT&T Elevate 4G LTE mobile hotspot to perform speed tests in the Chicago area. Using both an iPhone 4 and a MacBook connected to the Elevate via Wi-Fi, he found that download speeds topped out at around 13Mbps and upload speeds reached just over 2Mbps. It should be noted, however, that the speeds achieved during these tests do not necessarily represent the data speeds AT&T subscribers will see once the network officially goes live. In addition, our source said that the Elevate never had more than three bars of service during the tests, which is another indication that AT&T’s 4G LTE network is not in a launch-ready state. Images of 4G LTE speed test results on the iPhone 4 and MacBook can be seen in our photo gallery, which is linked above.

New evidence has emerged that further confirms Apple’s ongoing tests of an LTE-enabled iPhone and iPad. BGR exclusively reported last week that multiple Apple carrier partners are currently testing iPhone models equipped with LTE radios. Our source also supplied a PLIST file containing evidence of the LTE-enabled iPhone. Now, MacRumors has discovered this LTE.plist file in iOS 5 developer builds for both the GSM iPhone 4 and the CDMA iPad 2. While the discovery of these files does not necessarily indicate that Apple plans to release 4G LTE-compatible devices in the near future, it does reaffirm that ongoing tests are being conducted with the new high-speed wireless technology. An additional report emerged last week claiming that several Apple Store locations were having new 4G LTE equipment installed, even providing photographic evidence of the new gear. Once again, this news does not necessarily suggest that 4G LTE-enabled Apple products will launch in the immediate future, but it could be safe to say Apple will be ready to support LTE once U.S. and global coverage is expanded.

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Apple’s iPhone 5 is set to be unveiled in the next month or so, though no one quite knows what the device will feature thanks to the ongoing flood of rumors. Sure, we have a pretty good idea of what it will look like, though one technology we’ve repeatedly seen requested is LTE support for 4G networks across the globe. While we can’t confirm that the upcoming fifth-generation iPhone will be able to support 4G LTE, we can now exclusively confirm that Apple’s carrier partners are testing iPhone models with LTE capability. BGR has obtained evidence of an internal iOS test build from one of Apple’s major carrier partners, and buried in the firmware is a property list (.plist file) for LTE. This doesn’t necessarily mean every Apple device that’s about to be released will feature an embedded 4G LTE modem, but it certainly means Apple isn’t sitting on the sidelines as 4G LTE networks continue to roll out around the world. Plus, when Apple finally does make a 4G LTE device, the battery might actually last longer than a few hours. Check out our photo gallery for images of Apple’s LTE plist file.

An image of what could be Apple’s next-generation iPhone has surfaced online. 9to5 Mac published the photo, which it received from a tipster, and the site does not claim to be able to verify the authenticity of the image. According to the report, the site’s tipster saw a presumed Apple employee using the device in public when he snapped the above picture of the man and the device. While there’s no telling if the handset seen above is in fact Apple’s iPhone 5, it certainly doesn’t resemble any iOS device we’ve seen to date. There are some discrepancies with earlier leaks, however, that claimed to reveal case designs for the iPhone 5. The volume rocker, for example, is still on the left side of the device pictured above, but earlier case designs showed it on the right. On the other hand, Apple has undoubtedly finalized its hardware design at this point, so it’s entirely possible that the iPhone 5 is undergoing real-world testing. A test on a train is certainly necessary so Apple can see how the device performs when rapidly switching between cell towers, so that’s another good sign. Would an Apple employee be holding the device out in the open without something concealing the device and the Apple logo on the back? We’re not so sure.

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Apple is in the late stages of testing a new ultra-thin 15-inch notebook computer that may or may not be an upcoming new addition to the MacBook Air family. MacRumors on Tuesday reports that the new ultra-thin laptop could either be a MacBook Air, which is currently offered in 11 and 13-inch sizes, or a MacBook Pro, which is currently offered in 13, 15 and 17-inch sizes. No pricing or release timing is being reported at this point, though a launch in the near term is unlikely. Apple refreshed its MacBook Pro lineup this past February and new MacBookAir models launched just this past week.

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Earlier today we gave you a glimpse at Sprint’s Overland Park campus, its Usability Lab, the Sprint Technology Integration Center and the carrier’s Mobile Technology Lab. Within that Mobile Technology Lab is a huge amount of fascinating equipment that we were not allowed to photograph. One box Sprint was happy to let us snap, however, was the Ericsson E-Node Base Transceiver System (BTS) pictured above. These devices find themselves at the center of Sprint’s forward-looking network efforts. Dubbed “Network Vision,” Sprint is in the process of upgrading and future-proofing its network — at least, to the extent a network can be future-proofed at this point. The E-Node BTS you see above and in the gallery below is an amazing advancement that will enable Sprint to realize this vision. The vertical “cards” you see pictured can be inserted and removed as easily as servers in a rack. Each one of these cards enables a network technology and is connected to an antenna cluster. So, for example, if Sprint was to reach a deal that would allow a partner to build out 4G LTE on Sprint’s network, Sprint engineers could simply add the appropriate LTE card to the BTS and off we go. Of course this is a bit oversimplified as there is plenty of intensive testing involved, but this is a monumental leap forward, and one that we hope will be adopted by other major carriers in the U.S. Sprint’s Network Vision program really is the future of the carrier’s network, and the technology and facilities behind it are incredible. Check out the gallery below for a closer look at the E-Node BTS.

Next up on our virtual tour of Sprint’s headquarters could very well be the most interesting facility yet — the Mobile Technology Lab, which is located on Sprint’s main campus here in Overland Park, Kansas. This massive facility houses 50,000 square feet of lab space, 360 tons of cooling equipment, and once a current upgrade project is completed it will contain a total of 15 miles of coaxial cable and 5 miles of fiber. Whereas the Sprint Technology Integration Center is focused on network testing, this monstrous lab focuses on device testing. The facility allows Sprint engineers to test nearly every imaginable aspect of a device that might concern Sprint, from battery and audio quality to monitoring and logging software events during a limitless number of usage cases. The photo tour begins with another RF chamber; this one is an anechoic isolation chamber that keeps all signals out to ensure that tests are not impacted by outside radio waves. The second room you see is actually a dual-walled isolation chamber that takes this concept a step further. The tests performed here can be so sensitive that even the monitoring equipment could ruin them. As a result, the test equipment is positioned outside the first door and then sealed off with the second. You’ll also see a set of three dials immediately after the double door chamber, and these actually control the amount of signal fed into the chamber. So, for example, Sprint engineers are able to see how devices operate with weak 3G signal, or even take performance readings as 4G signal drops and the device jumps to 3G. Finally, the gray head pictured is part of an audio quality test setup — we were not allowed to photograph the monitoring station — and the small room at the end is home to a station that tests devices’ ability to play various kinds of multimedia files. As we’re sure you’re beginning to understand at this point, handsets and other connected devices undergo extremely rigorous testing ahead of release… and the tastes you’re getting here are barely the tip of the iceberg.

And now comes the fun stuff. BGR on Wednesday toured a number of labs here at Sprint’s Midwest headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas. Some we’re able to talk about and some we can’t unfortunately, but among the ones we can show you is the Sprint Technology Integration Center located down the road from Sprint’s main campus in Lenexa, Kansas. This facility houses 15,000 square feet of laboratory space and the teams that dwell within are focused on network performance testing; devices that enter this lab have already gone through third-party testing and will now undergo validation testing. Sprint has specific requirements outside of compliance standards in order to ensure that devices on its networks meet its high standards, and this lab is home to the majority of equipment used to perform those tests. Among the jewels to be found within the gallery linked below is the ever-popular RF chamber. Foam spikes… gel-filled head positioned oh so carefully… this is one of the staples of cellular labs that we all look forward to seeing. The RF chamber is designed to create very specific test environments for devices in order to provide a level of control that would otherwise be impossible to achieve. There are also a few shots of demos we were given of a couple different test setups, including navigation testing and streaming video testing. The full gallery can be seen via the link below.

As we mentioned earlier, Sprint is currently hosting reporters from BGR and four other publications at its massive headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas. We gave you a tour of Sprint’s grounds earlier this morning, and now we’re happy to bring you a rare glimpse inside the Sprint Usability Lab here at the carrier’s campus. This building houses various facilities and equipment used to perform some of the product testing that helps shape the future of Sprint’s portfolio. User groups are brought in for a wide range of focus studies and device testing, and we were shown a variety of equipment Sprint uses to perform the tests. One such device, which can be seen in the last three images in the gallery below, is an eye tracker that allows Sprint’s usability experts to view and later analyze exactly what a user looks at while handling a device. We were shown a demo where the user handled a feature phone and viewed the device’s UI on the attached monitor. As the user flipped through the device’s interface, the equipment was able to track — in real time — exactly where the user was looking on the device’s interface. This type of study can then help Sprint build user interfaces and experiences that are arranged logically in accordance with user behavior, ultimately resulting in a more user-friendly experience. We have plenty more to come but in the meantime, enjoy the gallery below.

As part of its new Teardown Research Service, market research firm ABI Research has torn Samsung’s Galaxy S II apart in order to analyze and test the components Samsung used to build its latest flagship device. “If you are looking to keep up with the latest technology in 2011, the Galaxy S II is a good place to start,” ABI Research’s report states, listing the device’s major changes compared to the original Galaxy S as including the Exynos dual-core processor, a new single-packaged multi-band multi-mode radio from RFMD, a new CMOS-based antenna switch and a lower-power XMM6260 cellular chipset from Infineon. “Samsung started from scratch with this phone: almost every component is new,” ABI Research vice president of engineering James Mielke said in a statement. ”Its application processor is the most powerful on the market at present. It is the first to use the Samsung Exynos 4210 dual-core application processor (a competitor to NVIDIA’s dual-core Tegra 2). The name Exynos combines Greek words for ‘smart’ and ‘green,’ indicating Samsung’s energy-efficiency goals for the design.” Mielke concludes, ““Samsung took many risks by combining all these new technologies into one phone. But ABI Research believes those risks will pay off; the Galaxy S II sets a new benchmark for almost every category on which a smartphone is measured.”

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Over the weekend, the hacking group LulzSec announced that after 50 days of hacking targets such as Sony and the U.S. government, it was stopping its operations. As a parting gift, the group leaked a number of internal AT&T documents, including the above image that suggests AT&T will test a 4G LTE version of its iPad between November and December of this year. That’s in line with earlier suggestions from research firm CLSA, which said earlier this month that Apple would launch a new 4G LTE capable iPad in time for the holidays — though it certainly wouldn’t leave much margin for error if the tests don’t go according to plan. Other rumors suggest the iPad 3 won’t launch until sometime in 2012, and the timing dictated by this document would make that scenario much more likely.

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During Microsoft’s Windows Phone Mango press conference in New York today, the company confirmed that Nokia’s first Windows Phone devices will run the newest Mango operating system when they’re released. That suggests that the phones could land as soon as this fall, when Mango makes its debut. Microsoft also confirmed that it already has Nokia prototype devices running in its labs today. Other new partners include Fujitsu, Acer, and ZTE, and Microsoft said that we can expect new Windows Phones from Samsung, HTC, and LG as well.

If you’re the owner of a Samsung Focus, HTC Surround, or LG Quantum, and are still feeling a little dejected by our last NoDo-update report, cheer up. It looks like the status of the first major Windows Phone update for AT&T users has been updated with a more specific time frame. Previously, the NoDo upgrade for the aforementioned trio of handsets was tagged listed as being in the “Testing” phase. Microsoft explains that in this stage, the code is “undergoing mobile operator network and quality tests” — a software update black hole, of sorts. Recently, Microsoft amended its official Windows Update page to let AT&T Windows Phone users know that the three handsets will likely exit testing in “early April 2011.” After the testing stage is complete, handsets move to the scheduling phase — which typically takes less than 10 business days — and after that, the update begins flowing to handsets. So cheer up AT&T Windows Phone users, your update is — fingers crossed — on the way.

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