NextNav has begun operating a 5G PNT Network in Santa Clara County, Calif., the first public demonstration of an operational 5G-based PNT in a live deployment, delivering both resilient PNT and broadband services simultaneously. The 5G PNT network will support the broader adoption of 5G-based terrestrial PNT with 5G broadband capabilities for operators, enterprises, and ecosystem partners.
Network operations of positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) applications represent the next milestone toward providing a complement to GPS. The 5G PNT network will consist of multiple fixed base-station locations, using 5G signals with a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS)-enabled, standalone 5G core, and NextNav’s 3D PNT architecture.
NextNav did not invent the concept of three-axis positioning, as systems such as GPS and aviation instruments have long used it to calculate latitude, longitude, and altitude. However, the company is widely credited as the first to effectively solve the problem of indoor vertical positioning (the Z-axis) for mobile devices. Before their innovation, global positioning systems provided accurate horizontal location data but struggled with altitude, particularly in urban environments. This meant that while a 911 dispatcher could identify a caller’s building, they could not determine whether the caller was on the second or the fifty-second floor, a limitation often described as the “flat blue dot” problem.
NextNav addressed this issue by deploying a carrier-grade solution that met strict FCC requirements for 911 accuracy, which demands vertical precision within 3 m. While smartphones have barometric pressure sensors, they are unreliable for precise altitude readings because air pressure fluctuates with the weather. NextNav’s solution, known as Pinnacle, uses a nationwide network of ground-based reference stations that continuously compare local air pressure with the pressure detected by the phone. This comparison allows the system to mathematically cancel out weather anomalies and pinpoint the user’s exact floor level.