LAS VEGAS—During the LPTV Broadcasters Association's conference being held at the 2025 NAB Show, XGen Network (XGN) announced the development of its LPTV Broadcast Positioning System "BPS" leveraging 5G Broadcast technology.
The FCC has announced that it is going to explore alternatives, including BPS, to the GPS system, which may be vulnerable to outages and attacks. Most BPS development efforts and trials have typically used NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 broadcasts, not 5G.
XGN's initiative builds upon the 3GPP standards, which include the Observed Time Difference of Arrival "OTDOA" mechanism for determining receiver positions using terrestrial cellular technology. Specifically, 3GPP defines Positioning Reference Signals (PRS) designed for precise positioning in 4G LTE standards. XGN plans to adapt and extend these existing standards to function within broadcast environments, thereby creating a robust and versatile positioning system, XGN explained.
BPS can serve as a resilient backup to GPS, ensuring continuous operation of critical infrastructure and services during GPS outages, thereby safeguarding public safety. Leveraging existing broadcast infrastructure utilizing the over 5,300 licensed LPTV Broadcast facilities, LPTV broadcast can provide wide-area coverage, making it particularly valuable in rural or remote regions where traditional positioning systems may be less effective, the company said.
Bill Christian, a board member of the LPTV Broadcasters Association, stated, "Even if only a few satellites are destroyed, the entire GPS system could be rendered inoperable. BPS offers a reliable failsafe and plays a crucial role in safeguarding public safety."
XGN is showcasing its new 5G Broadcast exciter at NAB 2025 at the TRedess booth, W4015 in the West Hall.
