NextNav has taken the first step toward providing a resilient 3D PNT capability in Europe, opening a new commercial testbed for its Pinnacle technology in France.
This is the company’s first European testbed for the high-accuracy vertical location technology and will be located in the Paris area, according to a news release. The testbed will demonstrate the benefits Pinnacle can offer local emergency response agencies as well as provide integration with applications and devices from NextNav partners.
Pinnacle offers precise floor-level vertical location—which is critical for emergency responders who need to quickly find victims. The terrestrial-based system provides accurate 3D PNT for emergency services, logistics, telecommunications and other sectors that rely on precise positioning and timing but are vulnerable to GPS interference.
Pinnacle is available in 4,400 cities and is currently being deployed across Japan. In independent testing, the z-axis data has been shown to deliver 94% floor level accuracy. In recent years, multiple wireless carriers, devices and first responder communication companies have selected NextNav to provide z-axis capabilities to enhance situational awareness and provide emergency caller location. The technology reduces response times, ultimately saving lives.
“We are delighted to introduce a Pinnacle testbed in the Paris area to show how we address the challenge of vertical location accuracy as a first step toward realizing our vision of next-generation GPS services in Europe,” said Ambroise Popper, general manager and vice president, NextNav France, according to the release. “This initial deployment will enable us to demonstrate our Pinnacle technology to industry partners and pave the way for delivering not only superior floor-level accuracy, but also resilient 3D PNT capabilities through a terrestrial-based system in the near future.”
The announcement comes after the recent European Joint Research Centre (JRC) report, which recognized NextNav’s accuracy in providing floor-level vertical location and a resilient layer for traditional GPS services, even in complex indoor and urban environments, with its vertical location precision achieving 1.6m 95% of the time. The JRC report recognized NextNav’s resilient PNT technology, TerraPoiNT, as a mature technology that met or exceeded relevant benchmarks to serve as a resilient layer for existing GPS and GNSS technologies.
“With this report, the European Union is taking an important step for security and economic resilience by working to address GNSS vulnerabilities,” said Ganesh Pattabiraman, Co-Founder and CEO of NextNav. “We’re proud that the JRC confirmed TerraPoiNT’s exceptional performance and its ability to fulfill today’s PNT needs. As European policymakers look ahead to the upcoming European Radionavigation plan and develop their infrastructure priorities, we encourage them to use these findings as a lodestar to act quickly before facing the serious consequences of a GNSS outage.”
TerraPoiNT demonstrated indoor PNT, including vertical location accuracy within 2 meters 90% of the time, throughout the entire test, according to the report. It was also only one of three technologies to successfully demonstrate timing stability over multiple days of GNSS loss. Overall, it exceeded critical infrastructure requirements by maintaining timing stability within 15 nanoseconds 90% of the time.
