Mariam Sorond is NextNav (Nasdaq: NN) Board Chair and CEO focused on solving a national security challenge.
At this year’s Mobile World Congress, the show floor buzzed with talk about AI-driven connectivity and automation. But beyond the flashy demos and keynotes, a universal frustration kept surfacing: GPS wasn’t working the way we’ve come to expect.
A Glitch In The System
From the airport to the convention center, navigation apps faltered. Ride-hailing services struggled to pinpoint locations. Even basic walking directions in Las Ramblas became unreliable. Everyone I spoke with—including U.S. and international regulators—experienced it firsthand.
Thankfully, none of us were facing an emergency that required precise location data. But what if we had been?
The Fragility Of Satellite Systems
What we experienced in Barcelona is a reminder of the vulnerabilities of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) like GPS. Satellite-based GNSS—especially GPS, which is operated by the U.S. government—is the backbone of positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services that support everything from national security and public safety to energy, agriculture, telecommunications and global logistics.
Why GPS Falls Short In Cities And Indoors
While GPS is a remarkable innovation and a cornerstone of modern infrastructure, it often fails indoors or in dense urban environments. In environments dominated by concrete, steel and towering buildings, GPS signals can be blocked or distorted. These signals travel over 12,500 miles to reach us and are incredibly weak upon arrival—leaving them vulnerable not only to physical obstructions and solar activity, but also to intentional interference.
GPS jamming and spoofing are no longer theoretical. These threats are already disrupting flights and disabling automated farming equipment across much of the continent, largely due to the war in Ukraine. Sites like gpsjam.org provide real-time visualizations of interference.
When GPS Fails, What’s The Backup?
Urban centers like Barcelona and New York City—and even indoor spaces like high-rises and subway tunnels—are particularly prone to GPS disruptions. That’s where terrestrial, or ground-based, PNT systems play a vital role. These systems use signals that are orders of magnitude stronger than satellite signals and can serve as a resilient backup when GPS is degraded or unavailable. They deliver secure, accurate timing and location data in scenarios where satellite-based systems fall short.
GPS Is Only One Layer—We Need More
There is a significant gap, however: Unlike many allies and adversaries, the United States lacks a ground-based complement to GPS. Right now, we’re depending on a single system for everything from emergency response and power grid operations to ride-sharing apps. That poses significant economic and security risks. GPS supports more than $1.4 trillion in economic activity, and a potential outage could cost $1.6 billion per day.
The good news? Momentum is growing. Officials across government and industry have long called for a layered, “system of systems” approach to PNT resilience—one that integrates both space- and terrestrial-based technologies. In 2020, the Trump Administration issued an Executive Order focused on national PNT resilience. Recently, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr took a meaningful step by issuing a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) that highlights GPS vulnerabilities and calls for stakeholder engagement to develop new PNT solutions.
A Promising Step Forward
The NOI signals the FCC’s recognition that GPS limitations are a national priority. The Commission’s efforts to engage cross-sector voices are a promising sign that the U.S. is ready to move forward. Multiple ground-based technologies are being developed that can address different dimensions of PNT—offering the redundancy necessary to future-proof critical infrastructure.
Recent surveys suggest strong support among Americans, with a ten-to-one margin in favor of creating a ground-based GPS backup system. This support crosses gender and generational lines. Over 80% of respondents agree that building a complementary system is essential to public safety, national security and global competitiveness.
The Private Sector’s Role In Closing The Gap On Resilience
Private sector innovation will be the driving force in closing the resilience gap. Companies are already developing terrestrial systems that could complement GPS—many of which are designed to integrate seamlessly with existing 5G infrastructure, delivering stronger, more reliable PNT signals where satellite coverage falls short.
The FCC’s willingness to act using its existing authority is a pivotal signal to the market. Now it is up to industry leaders to seize the moment—scaling solutions that can strengthen national infrastructure, protect critical systems and unlock the next generation of connected technologies.
Whether it’s enabling everyday navigation or guiding emergency response teams, America’s infrastructure depends on more than a single signal. Resilient PNT systems must be ready when it matters most.
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