NTIA Offers FCC 'Inventory' of GPS Alternatives
NTIA filed at the FCC on Tuesday an “inventory” discussing the possible alternatives to GPS for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) and GPS modernization. FCC commissioners approved a notice of inquiry in March seeking broad comment on the issue (see 2503270042).
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The U.S. Air Force and Space Force are “implementing the GPS modernization program to upgrade the GPS space segment with the capabilities to transmit ‘a more jam-resistant, encrypted, military specific’ M-code signal for military users, as well as the L2C (1227 MHz), L5 (1176 MHz), and L1C (1575 MHz) civil signals to improve GPS performance for civilian users,” said the filing in docket 25-110. “Unfortunately, the GPS modernization program has experienced delays across its space and ground segments that have prevented the upgraded civil signals from reaching full operational capacity.”
NTIA also provided updates on space- and terrestrial-based and independent PNT solutions. NextNav’s proposal “would require mobile network operators to deploy 5G infrastructure in the lower 900 MHz band, and then NextNav would ‘implement, operate, and manage additional PNT-optimized infrastructure over the 5G network’ to offer PNT services based on ‘5G positioning reference signals,’” NTIA said: NextNav would “maintain its own PNT-optimized infrastructure, including atomic clocks and barometric pressure sensors, while integrating with partner 5G networks, ensuring both GPS backup functionality and compliance with coexistence requirements in the Lower 900 MHz band.”
Broadcasters say the proposed broadcast positioning system relies on TV infrastructure “equipped with ‘ATSC 3.0, an international standard for broadcast television’” and “can transmit precise timing signals from television towers already deployed across the country,” the filing said.
Speaking on Tuesday at George Washington University, Transportation Deputy Secretary Steven Bradbury said the federal government is hoping to create commercial demand for supplemental PNT services in part through its own purchase of those services (see 2505270031).