U.S. DOT Awards Five Complementary PNT Rapid Development Contracts
Original LinkedIn post: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/us-dot-awards-5-complementary-pnt-rapid-development-goward-frin-dz9pe
On 27 October 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced five rapid development contracts to further demonstrate complementary positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) technologies. The contracts, which total about $5 million, are intended to keep the government engaged in complementary PNT while supporting small companies with promising PNT solutions.
The article notes that “rapid development” is somewhat of a misnomer because all of the technologies being funded are already mature and ready to use. Each awardee brings a different approach to providing resilient and GPS‑independent PNT:
- The National Association of Broadcasters has developed the Broadcast Positioning Service, which delivers timing signals over new ATSC 3.0 television broadcasts and has the potential to provide location information.
- Iridium Satellite LLC (which last year acquired Satelles) uses its low‑Earth‑orbit communication satellites to deliver a satellite‑based timing service.
- UrsaNav LLC provides terrestrial eLoran PNT technology and is working with the U.S. Department of Defense and Department of the Navy on similar projects.
- Viavi Solutions offers two resilient satellite timing services, one operating in low‑Earth orbit and another in geostationary orbit, that are independent of GPS/GNSS.
- MerlinTPS Corp has developed its own proprietary terrestrial PNT system that does not rely on GPS.
All of the awardees except Iridium are members of the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation, which seeks to raise awareness of GPS vulnerabilities. While these contracts do not amount to a full nationwide complementary PNT system, they help maintain momentum and ensure that alternative technologies remain ready for adoption.
Original LinkedIn post: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/us-dot-awards-5-complementary-pnt-rapid-development-goward-frin-dz9pe
