NextNav and Tiami Networks Partner on 5G

NextNav has announced a partnership with Tiami Networks to develop and evaluate 5G-powered counter-drone detection capabilities. The collaboration, announced in a press release from NextNav, will focus on using NextNav's 5G Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Network for integrated sensing and communications.

The partnership combines NextNav's low-band 5G capabilities with Tiami Networks' expertise in integrated sensing and communications (ISAC). According to NextNav, the effort will evaluate how its 5G PNT Network can simultaneously support multiple functions.

5G Sensing for Drone Defense

David Gell, Vice President of Business Development at NextNav, stated the need for this technology is urgent. He said drones continue to threaten large-scale events, critical infrastructure, and government and military facilities including airports. The partnership aims to assess long-range, wide-area sensing for UAS detection while also providing 3D positioning, navigation and timing data.

The companies plan to evaluate the network's ability to perform several tasks concurrently. These include counter-UAS detection, airspace awareness, long-range and wide-area sensing, and providing 3D PNT information. The effort builds on NextNav's existing ground-based 5G-powered 3D PNT system which operates using licensed Lower 900 MHz spectrum.

California Test Environment

NextNav's 5G PNT Network in Santa Clara County, California, will serve as the primary test environment. The companies will use this network to evaluate long-range sensing capabilities operating specifically in the 900 MHz band.

Testing will focus on potential applications for UAS detection, airspace awareness, critical infrastructure protection, and national security. NextNav claims the network can perform these sensing functions while simultaneously providing accurate 3D PNT information. Importantly, the company states this can be done without adding additional load to the network.

Integrated Sensing Expertise

Tiami Networks will contribute its specialized knowledge in integrated sensing and communications to the evaluation. Dr. Amitav Mukherjee, CEO at Tiami Networks, called NextNav's network a compelling platform for demonstrating how 5G infrastructure can support positioning, timing, and sensing.

Mukherjee stated that combining NextNav's low-band 5G with Tiami's ISAC expertise creates an opportunity. The goal is to evaluate scalable, wide-area drone detection and other mission-critical sensing applications.

The partnership agreement is described as a step toward demonstrating long-range 5G-powered sensing within the broader ISAC ecosystem. Results from the collaboration will support future assessments of the technology's performance. These assessments will focus on applicability for critical infrastructure and national security use cases. The core question is whether low-band 5G technology can provide both positioning services and scalable, wide-area sensing for drone detection at the same time.