NextNav

NextNav distributed its Pinnacle vertical location service in January 2021, which provides floor-level vertical location using barometric sensors from cell phones and other devices.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}} Their Pinnacle network was distributed in partnership with AT&T and is in more than 4,400 cities across the United States.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}} The larger NextNav network uses Metropolitan Beacon System technology to deliver high-precision three-dimensional indoor location capabilities across a market area. MBS is built on principles similar to GPS transmitting precisely timed signals from a network of wide-area beacons enabling receivers to use trilateration techniques to determine their precise locations.

Due to the terrestrial placement of the transmitters and the sub-GHz nature of the signal, MBS signals can travel several kilometers and—because the network is specifically designed, deployed, and managed for indoor positioning—can be reliably received in deep indoor conditions that block satellite signals (e.g., GPS, GLONASS).{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}} MBS signals also enable location to be computed with far lower power drain than GPS.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}} In addition, the system incorporates barometric pressure compensation technology that allows receivers equipped with pressure sensors to compute their altitude very precisely, typically within a floor.

A byproduct of the GPS-like operating principles of NextNav's MBS network is the ability to deliver high-precision (Stratum-1-level) timing to indoor locations or in the event of GPS outages.

MBS receivers are being commercialized as an additional constellation added to multi-constellation GNSS processors.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}} Today's GPS processors typically process additional satellite constellations, and the MBS processing capability constitutes primarily firmware additions.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

The performance of the technology under emergency dialing conditions was originally demonstrated in the CSRIC III test bed in San Francisco in 2012, with performance enhancements added on an ongoing basis.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}} More recently the technology was enabled in the primary global telecommunication standards bodies, 3GPP (Release 13){{cite web|title=3GPP Release 13 Specification Adds Support for Metropolitan Beacon System for Mobile Systems|url=http://www.marketwatch.com/story/3gpp-release-13-specification-adds-support-for-metropolitan-beacon-system-for-mobile-systems-2016-01-19|website=MarketWatch}} and OMA (SUPL 2.0.3).{{cite web|title=OMA Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) v 1.0 & 2.0 {{!}} OMA|url=http://openmobilealliance.org/about-oma/work-program/location/|website=openmobilealliance.org|access-date=2016-06-03|archive-date=2016-07-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160731231333/http://openmobilealliance.org/about-oma/work-program/location/|url-status=dead}} MBS signal technology is available under FRAND terms.

The technology can be scaled for any location application, including services to mobile phones, the Internet of Things, and enterprise and public safety applications.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

On March 11, 2024, NextNav announced it signed an agreement to acquire spectrum licenses covering an additional 4 MHz in the lower 900 MHz band (902-928) from Telesaurus Holdings GB LLC, and Skybridge Spectrum Foundation. NextNav acquired the additional spectrum licenses for a total purchase price of up to $50 million, paid for through a combination of cash and NextNav common stock. The acquired licenses are in the same lower 900 MHz band as NextNav's current licensed spectrum.

On April 16, 2024, NextNav filed a rulemaking petition with the Federal Communications Commission to deliver a spectrum solution in the Lower 900 MHz band on the grounds that it would facilitate a terrestrial positioning, navigation, and timing network (as a complement and backup to GPS) and broadband. As of September 5th, 2024 the comment period had closed and was strongly opposed by American Radio Relay League as well as the LoRa-based Meshtastic community which also operate in the 902-928Mhz band.{{cite web|title=ARRL Defends 902-928 Amateur Radio Band|url=https://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-defends-902-928-amateur-radio-band}}{{cite web|title=WTB and OET Seek Comment on NextNav Petition for Rulemaking|url=https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/search/search-filings/results?q=(proceedings.name:(%2224-240%22))}}

NextNav's Urban and Indoor Positioning service TerraPoiNT is available in San Francisco Bay Area, McLean, VA and other select markets.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}} Its Pinnacle vertical location service is available in more than 4,400 cities nationwide and has partnered with AT&T FirstNet to provide vertical location service for First Responders.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

In November 2022, NextNav has recently completed the acquisition of a geolocation system provider based in France, specializing in low-power technologies, Nestwave.{{Cite web |last=FinSMEs |date=2022-11-07 |title=NextNav Acquires Nestwave |url=https://www.finsmes.com/2022/11/nextnav-acquires-nestwave.html |access-date=2022-11-07 |website=FinSMEs |language=en-US}}

{{reflist}}

• {{official website|http://www.nextnav.com}}

Category:Global Positioning System

Category:American companies established in 2007

Category:Technology companies established in 2007

Category:Companies based in Sunnyvale, California

Category:2007 establishments in California

Category:Technology companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area

Category:Companies listed on the Nasdaq

Category:Special-purpose acquisition companies