GPS World

Tag: Santa Clara

  • NextNav to begin operating 5G-powered PNT network

    NextNav to begin operating 5G-powered PNT network

    The 5G PNT network in Santa Clara County will mark the first real-world demonstration of a 5G-powered backup to GPS

    NextNav Inc., a leader in next-generation terrestrial positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) and 3D geolocation solutions, will commence operations of a 5G PNT network in Santa Clara County, California, as early as Dec. 11.

    Network operations of positioning, navigation and timing applications represent the next milestone toward commercial readiness and the mission to deliver a resilient complement to GPS.

    The 5G PNT network will consist of multiple fixed base station locations using a standards-compliant 5G signal with a positioning reference signal (PRS) enabled, a standalone 5G core, and NextNav’s 3D PNT architecture. The network’s authorized technical parameters will align with those in NextNav’s proposal to optimize the lower 900 MHz band to enable a terrestrial, widescale backup to GPS that is broadly available to critical infrastructure, public safety and American consumers.

    “We’re incredibly pleased to continue demonstrating our technology in a real-world operational environment,” said Mariam Sorond, CEO of NextNav. “Activating this network is a critical step in our commercialization process, proving that robust 5G broadband service and high-integrity PNT can be delivered together, at scale, using standard 5G equipment.”

    The 5G PNT network will validate NextNav’s 5G PRS-based PNT end-to-end architecture under real-world conditions.

    “This is the first public demonstration of a full-scale and operational 5G-based PNT in live deployment, delivering both resilient PNT and broadband service simultaneously,” said Arun Raghupathy, NextNav Co-Founder and CTO. “Through this commercialization deployment, we’re validating our 5G-based network can deliver accurate 3D location, improved timing synchronization, and enhanced resilience. This real-world deployment is critical to establishing U.S. leadership in next-generation PNT technologies.”

    The 5G PNT network will support the broader adoption of 5G-based terrestrial PNT with 5G broadband capabilities for operators, enterprises and ecosystem partners. This deployment will also prove that NextNav’s software solution is ready to scale and deliver commercial PNT while serving the critical national security and public safety needs of the United States.

  • Seen & Heard: Space Force recruits with GPS

    Seen & Heard: Space Force recruits with GPS

    “Seen & Heard” is a monthly feature of GPS World magazine, traveling the world to capture interesting and unusual news stories involving the GNSS/PNT industry.

    Photo: nattrass/iStock/Getty Images Plus
    Photo: nattrass/iStock/Getty Images Plus

    SMARTWATCH REVEALS RUNNER’S FATE

    On the morning of July 10, Berkeley resident Philip Kreycik went for a run in Pleasanton, California. That day, temperatures reached 106 degrees, and he didn’t return home. His body was found Aug. 3, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. His Suunto smartwatch stopped tracking movement 4.5 hours after he started his run. GPS data from the watch showed him moving in erratic zigzags and circles before he stopped. Experts concluded he experienced delirium before succumbing to heat exhaustion.

    Photo: SOPHIE-CARON/iStock Unreleased/Getty Images
    Photo: SOPHIE-CARON/iStock Unreleased/Getty Images

    GANGS TARGET FARM DEVICES

    Organized gangs riding e-scooters are stealing high-value GPS/GNSS technology from farms in the United Kingdom, reports BBC News. Insurer NFU Mutual said the cost of replacing the stolen equipment nearly doubled in a year to £2.9 million. The technology, in worldwide demand, has become the “rural thieves’ top target,” the insurer said. GPS/GNSS equipment on tractors can cost up to £10,000 per unit.

    SPACE FORCE RECRUITS WITH GPS

    A 13-minute recruitment commercial from the U.S. Space Force debuted Aug. 24, with GPS as a star. “There’s no such thing as a day without space operations. You just don’t see them,” explains the video, mentioning how GPS is key to the operation of ATMs, cell phones, gas pumps, traffic lights, power grids, guided missiles and more. The commercial states that the Space Force is seeking guardians who will help protect satellites from attack and debris. Current guardians describe the importance of GPS. “We won’t just think outside the box, we’ll think outside the atmosphere, in one of the most challenging environments ever known,” concludes the video. “The sky is not the limit.”

    THIEVES STEAL TRACKERS AND… (GUESS THE REST)

    Two burglars who stole a package from a drop-off box were quickly apprehended — the package was filled with Roambee GPS-based trackers heading to a COVID-19 vaccine maker for use in tracking shipments. The Santa Clara Police Department was ecstatic to learn what the thieves had stolen, reports Roambee, who knew the package had gone missing. Unaware of what was in their trunk, the thieves traveled more than 761 miles around the Bay Area before being arrested 14 days later on July 18.