Satellite optimization is an important focus for those individuals and businesses that rely on satellite connectivity. A recent Connected Planet Online article focused on the recent interaction between 4G operator LightSquared and its swapping of spectrum with fellow satellite operator Inmarsat (News - Alert).

According to Adam Davison, corporate vice president of sales and marketing at Expand elaborated as to the two companies’ relationship by saying, “Through our work with Inmarsat, service providers will be able to optimize their offerings to add value and competitive differentiation to their services with flexible and scalable products that enable them to maximize their services for customers. Inmarsat has long been at the forefront of technology innovation, and we are committed to working to support its global network of distribution partners to in maximizing the communications environments of enterprise customers.”

Which is perhaps why LightSquared (News - Alert), a new 4G operator, is trying to align its frequency holdings with its deployment plans for long-term evolution (LTE (News - Alert) ). And, while the company has received FCC permission to use 59 MHz of L-band satellite spectrum for terrestrial mobile broadband services, the interlaced L-band licenses are not designed to delivery satellite optimization through a wideband 4G deployment.

LTE is designed to use orthogonal frequency division multiplexing access technology. In combination of the use of sub-channels, this technology spreads a single LTE carrier over virtually any amount of spectrum. When an operator packs significant contiguous spectrum into that channel, it can offer tremendous capacity over a single wireless carrier within the same infrastructure.

The challenge for LightSquared in its attempt to achieve satellite optimization is that its frequencies are spread all over the L-band, depleting its ability to deliver the necessary capacity. In fact, the most it can achieve in its current state is 5-by-5 MHz. In swapping out frequencies, LightSquared will be able to eventually deploy LTE into two separate 10-by-10 MHz carriers, thereby taking advantage of LTE technical efficiencies to ensure it can be competitive with other 4G operators.

“We and Inmarsat are the big dogs in the L-band,” said Drew Caplan, chief network officer of LightSquared in the Connected Planet Online piece. “When we were awarded our spectrum, though, it was interlaced to reflect our status as satellite providers.” To use an old IT computing term, LightSquared’s spectrum “needed to be de-fragged,” Caplan said.

In 2007 – and operating under the name SkyTerra (News - Alert) – LightSquared entered an agreement with Inmarsat when both companies had determined they would attempt to use their own spectrum for terrestrial broadband access at some date in the future to drive satellite optimization. Phase one of the agreement is expected to be implemented immediately, enabling LightSquared to develop two unencumbered 5-by-5 MHz channels for its LTE deployment.

Phase two of the agreement is expected to take about 18 months to implement. LightSquared has agreed to cover the cost of the transition to satellite optimization and will pay Inmarsat $337.5 million in the process. In this phase, another 5 MHz will be added to the uplink and downlink of each of LightSquared’s LTE carriers to double the size of its 4G channels.