Recently, a positioning, navigation, timing (PNT) and 3D geolocation technology company called NextNav submitted a petition to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requesting the readjustment of the right to use the 902-928 MHz band. This request has attracted widespread attention, especially strong opposition from the UHF RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology industry.
In the petition, NextNav advocated for expanding the power level, bandwidth and priority of its license, and proposed using 5G connections on relatively low bandwidths. The company hopes that the FCC will change the rules to enable ground-based 3D PNT networks to support two-way transmissions of 5G and the lower 900 MHz band. NextNav claims that such a system can be used for location mapping and tracking services such as enhanced 911 (E911) communications, improving the efficiency and accuracy of emergency response.
NextNav spokesman Howard Wortman said that this plan provides great benefits to the public by creating a supplement and backup to GPS and frees up spectrum that is much needed for 5G broadband. However, this plan poses a potential threat to the use of traditional RFID technology.
Warnings and concerns in the RFID industry
Organizations such as RAIN Alliance and GS1 USA have expressed serious concerns about NextNav's request. They believe that if NextNav's application is approved, it may have a devastating impact on the reliability and functionality of RFID technology, ultimately affecting the resilience and efficiency of the entire supply chain, enterprises and government agencies.
Aileen Ryan, CEO of RAIN Alliance, pointed out that RFID technology is extremely popular in the United States. Currently, about 80 billion items are affixed with UHF RAIN RFID tags, covering multiple industries such as retail, logistics, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, and aviation. If these RFID devices are interfered with or unable to work due to NextNav's request, it will have a significant impact on the entire economic system.
The FCC is currently accepting public comments related to this petition, and the comment period will end on September 5, 2024. RAIN Alliance and other organizations are actively preparing a joint letter and submitting data to the FCC to explain the potential impact that NextNav's application may have on RFID deployment.
In addition, RAIN Alliance also plans to hold meetings with relevant committees of the U.S. Congress to further explain its position and gain more support. They hope that through these efforts, they can prevent NextNav's application from being approved and protect the normal use of RFID technology.
Two-way capacity and interference issues
NextNav's petition also proposes a plan to achieve two-way transmission in the 902-928 MHz band. Currently, ground navigation systems are mainly one-way, that is, the device only receives transmissions. NextNav hopes to change this situation and achieve two-way transmission for uplink and downlink. However, this plan requires higher power levels and bandwidth advantages, which may cause interference to existing RFID devices.
Jonathan Gregory, director of global standards for GS1 USA, said that the higher power levels required for ground GPS may "blind" RFID readers, thereby affecting the normal use of RFID technology. This concern has been widely supported by RAIN Alliance and other RFID technology industry members.
This is not the first time NextNav has tried to persuade the federal government to revoke the occupied bandwidth. As early as 2013, the company submitted a similar petition, but the FCC rejected the proposals on the grounds that it might interfere with millions of existing Part 15 devices.
As technology continues to develop and its application areas continue to expand, the rational allocation of spectrum resources has become increasingly important. The FCC needs to consider many factors when deciding whether to approve NextNav's application, including technical feasibility, impact on existing users, and the interests of society as a whole.
In the coming period, the FCC will continue to accept public comments and carefully evaluate NextNav's application. The final decision will have a profound impact on the future development of RFID technology and the entire supply chain.
