LightSquared rolling out nationwide 4G with help from Irving-based Nokia Siemens Networks

LightSquared will use a satellite to bolster its terrestrial 4G network. The satellite is expected to launch in the next several months. (photo: LightSquared)

I have an article in today’s paper looking at a new company called LightSquared.

LightSquared is paying Nokia Siemens Networks — which has its North American headquarters in Irving — billion to construct some 40,000 cell towers over the next few years to create and manage a new 4G LTE wireless network.

But you won’t ever buy a LightSquared phone or service. Instead, LightSquared plans to sell bandwidth on its network to other companies, such as retailers or electronics makers, who will then sell 4G service to their customers under their own brand names.

It’s an interesting business model that will, if it works, essentially fulfill the goal of nationwide broadband availability through a mix of terrestrial towers and one cool-looking satellite.

One of the four nationwide satellite gateways, which will manage the signals from the satellite, is in Dallas. (photo: LightSquared)

One thing I didn’t mention in the article that I learned in talking with the LightSquared folks is the actual download speeds that will be available on the service.

“The peak performance will be between 75 and 150 megabits per second, comparable to fiber,” said Frank Boulben, chief marketing officer at New York-based LightSquared.

“And on the actual speed that you will experience with multiple users simultaneously, it will be between 15 and 30 megabits per second.”

That’s legit 4G speed.

One of the potential applications that Boulben described was for a digital camera that, instead of a memory card, has a 4G connection. So you pay the camera maker a monthly fee, and every shot you take is immediately and wirelessly uploaded to a website. That’s a nifty concept, and I hope the industry jumps on it.

Of course, first LightSquared has to actually build the network and deliver the service.