GPS Vulnerabilities Prompt Industry Push for Backup Systems

The FCC is exploring terrestrial and space-based alternatives that could serve as backups when GPS fails.

GPS Vulnerabilities Prompt Industry Push for Backup Systems
Photo by Kyle Glenn used with permission

WASHINGTON, May 30, 2025 – The Federal Communications Commission is moving quickly to address America's critical dependence on GPS systems, with industry leaders warning that the nation has fallen behind adversaries like China and Russia in developing backup positioning technologies.

During a Broadband Breakfast Live Online panel Wednesday, executives from three companies developing alternative positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) systems said the FCC's recent inquiry into complementary GPS technologies represents a crucial "inflection point" for national security.

"It has been an amazing tool, but it's also a single point of failure," said Ed Mortimer, vice president of government affairs at NextNav. "We have seen over the last several years more and more adversaries willing to either disrupt or interfere with GPS."

Broadband Breakfast on May 28, 2025 – Understanding Global Positioning
What challenges and opportunities do alternatives to GPS present? What might a more diversified PNT landscape look like in practice?

The vulnerability concerns have intensified as jamming and spoofing attacks surge globally. The International Air Transport Association reported a 175% increase in jamming and 500% increase in spoofing of aircraft in the past year, according to Mortimer.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr launched the inquiry recognizing that while "GPS is indispensable, it is not infallible," the panelists noted. The commission is exploring terrestrial and space-based alternatives that could serve as backups when GPS fails.

Economic stakes rise as attacks increase

The Brattle Group estimated that a single day without GPS would cost the U.S. economy $1.6 billion, though Mortimer argued the actual figure would be "significantly higher" given the system's integration across 16 critical infrastructure sectors.

"You don't necessarily have to take out the GPS satellite in order to take out GPS, especially on a local level," explained Tanner Cheek, vice president of sales at Saffron, a supplier of space propulsion, satellite ground stations, and on-board data acquisition systems, speaking of the vulnerability of GPS. "The signal coming from the GPS satellites is very weak, so it's relatively trivial for a college electronics engineering student to build a localized jammer to take out GPS in a localized area."

Current GPS satellites operate from medium-Earth orbit (MEO) at about 25,000 kilometers altitude, making their signals extremely weak by the time they reach receivers on Earth. This vulnerability has prompted development of stronger alternatives.

Industry proposes multiple solutions

NextNav is proposing to leverage 5G technology and spectrum in the lower 900 MegaHertz (MHz) band to create a terrestrial PNT system. The company's solution would be "100,000 times harder" to jam than GPS signals, Mortimer said, and would work indoors where GPS fails.

"We at NextNav work a lot with the public safety community who are desperate to have indoor GPS," Mortimer said. The system would provide not just longitude and latitude but also altitude, telling users "you're on the eighth floor of a building."

Iridium is offering a low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite alternative through its existing 66-satellite constellation at 400 kilometers altitude. The proximity makes Iridium's signals "a thousand times stronger" than GPS, according to Rohit Braggs, vice president of PNT at Iridium.

"If you need to jam that signal, you need a thousand-watt more powerful jammer, which is not as easy to get," Braggs said. "GPS power level is so low you can do it with any signals engineer."

The panelists emphasized that no single technology will replace GPS entirely. Instead, they advocate for a "system of systems" approach with multiple backup options.

"There's not going to be a silver bullet whenever it comes to PNT," Cheek said. "What I do whenever I talk with customers is talk to them about a system of systems-based approach and having redundant paths."

Different industries have varying requirements, from high-frequency trading that demands picosecond-level accuracy to emergency 911 centers with different precision needs.

Spectrum management challenges

The FCC inquiry addresses not just technical solutions but spectrum allocation challenges. Beyond NextNav's 900 MHz proposal, broadcasters are seeking approval for ATSC 3.0 positioning networks, and SpaceX recently filed to offer PNT services, launching its GPS III Space Vehicle 08 Satellite on Friday.

"We have limited spectrum, but we need to bring in 5G," Mortimer said. "We need to make sure that licensed users like NextNav and unlicensed users can coexist so that we can all provide the strongest possible ecosystem."

"Chairman Carr is very concerned about China and their ability to do nefarious things to our networks," Mortimer said. "The commission wants to make actionable steps to move the process forward."

Looking ahead five years, the panelists envision a resilient PNT environment where multiple backup systems ensure continuous operation even under attack.

"Success would be that the government promotes private sector solutions such as the ones you're hearing about today," Mortimer said. "We have a layered approach to PNT, and we're not just talking about it but we actually have actionable systems."

Broadband Breakfast on May 28, 2025 – Understanding Global Positioning
What challenges and opportunities do alternatives to GPS present? What might a more diversified PNT landscape look like in practice?

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