Can't really see how Globalstar will be able to keep control
If I've read Globalstar's petition to the FCC correctly I can't see how Globalstar will realistically be able to retain control it's privately held channel. From the submission it says that this channel would fully comply with the IEEE 802.11 2.4 GHz channel specifications and goes on to confirm this by saying they have successfully conducted trials of off-the-shelf WiFi products running the 802.11 transceiver in OFDM mode (802.11g/n).
So effectively Gobalstar will be enabling their customers to legally use the international channel allocations already in use outside of the USA, within the USA, namely:
- For (legacy) 802.11b (DSSS) networks the use of Channels 1, 6, 11 & 14
- For 802.11g/n (OFDM) networks the use of channels 1, 5, 9 & 13
- For 802.11n (OFDM) networks with 40 MHz wide channels the use of channels 3 & 11
I suspect that Globalstar will derive significant business by simply licensing OEM's to include support for Channel 14 and the associated radio spectrum in the USA regional settings for their products rather than trying to limit licenses to specific customer installations. This approach would enable them to gain revenue from all client and infrastructure devices sold for use in the USA (just like a patent licensing fee), which is a much bigger and easier to police market than trying to license specific customers. I suspect it is this angle that is making people uneasy. The other arguments around interference are meaningless given the way the standard operates in the rest of the world.