US GPS Backup Provider NextNav Raises Concerns in the RFID Industry over 900 MHz Band
RAIN Alliance, GS1 US, and AIM Global have criticized the evidence presented by NextNav regarding coexistence in the lower 900 MHz band. The dispute centers on the planned use of a frequency range in which RAIN RFID and other UHF RFID applications are already in operation in the United States.
Conflict over the use of the lower 900 MHz band
RAIN Alliance, GS1 US, and AIM Global have responded to coexistence evidence published by NextNav regarding the lower 900 MHz band. From the perspective of the RFID organizations, the evidence and demonstrations provided are insufficient to realistically assess the risk of interference between planned 5G PNT applications and existing RAIN RFID systems.
The core of the conflict is the parallel use of the same or an overlapping frequency spectrum. RAIN RFID is used in the U.S. in the 902 to 928 MHz range. NextNav is pursuing plans to use parts of this frequency range for a terrestrial, 5G-based positioning, navigation, and timing system.
Who is NextNav?
NextNav is a U.S.-based, publicly traded company specializing in terrestrial positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) technology. The company is listed on the Nasdaq and develops ground-based solutions designed to complement or back up satellite-based systems such as GPS.
PNT stands for Positioning, Navigation, and Timing. In addition to location determination, this also includes precise timing information that can be relevant for mobile networks, critical infrastructure, emergency services, public safety, and industrial applications.
NextNav positions its technology as a terrestrial supplement or alternative to satellite-based systems. The current proceedings focus in particular on the planned use of the lower 900 MHz band for a 5G-based PNT network.
RFID organizations see unresolved coexistence risks
The RFID organizations criticize that NextNav’s published materials do not provide a sufficiently robust technical basis for assessing coexistence. In their view, technical details, methodology, and documentation that would enable an independent review are lacking.
Furthermore, the organizations believe that the scenarios presented do not reflect the real-world operating conditions in which RFID systems are used. In industrial and logistics applications, many readers, tags, antennas, reflective surfaces, and other radio systems are often used simultaneously.
The organizations therefore emphasize that coexistence issues should not be evaluated based on tightly controlled demonstrations. What is required, they say, are transparent, reproducible, and independently verifiable technical analyses under realistic operating conditions.
Relevance for RAIN RFID and Wireless IoT
The debate is of great importance to the RFID and Wireless IoT industry. RAIN RFID is used in retail, logistics, manufacturing, healthcare, supply chain management, asset tracking, and other sectors. Many of these applications depend on stable read ranges, high capture rates, and predictable radio conditions.
For system integrators and solution providers, the focus is therefore also on long-term planning security. If the regulatory framework in the 900 MHz band changes, existing installations, future system designs, and investment decisions could be affected.
End users are also indirectly affected. Today, RFID systems support processes such as goods tracking, inventory management, returns processing, production control, and quality control. Disruptions in these applications can have operational impacts throughout the supply chain.
Interference in Both Directions
A key point of criticism concerns not only potential interference with RAIN RFID systems caused by NextNav’s planned infrastructure. RAIN Alliance, GS1 US, and AIM Global also point to the reverse scenario: widely deployed RFID systems could similarly impact a planned NextNav network.
From the organizations’ perspective, this issue of mutual interference has not yet been adequately addressed. Precisely because RFID systems are already widely used in the 900 MHz band, the technical assessment must take both directions into account.
Call for a Transparent Technical Review
RAIN Alliance, GS1 US, and AIM Global emphasize that they remain open to a fact-based dialogue on spectrum policy. At the same time, they call for a rigorous technical analysis that reflects real-world operating conditions and is verifiable by independent experts.
Thus, NextNav’s planned use of the lower 900 MHz band remains a regulatory and technical issue of relevance to the RFID industry. The debate highlights how important robust coexistence analyses become when new radio applications are to be introduced into already heavily used frequency bands.