New technology: How rescue services will overcome navigation disruptions

California-based technology company oneNav announced groundbreaking results from a field trial conducted in Israel under real conditions. The trial demonstrated the resilience of the company's pioneering technology in neutralizing GPS jamming and spoofing disruptions.

The trials were conducted in the Haifa area, evaluating the performance of GPS receivers integrated into smartphones and smartwatches. These were the first trials of their kind in an active war zone globally. In the tests, oneNav examined its L5-direct™ GPS receiver alongside GPS receivers in iPhones, Samsung Galaxies, Google Pixels, and Garmin watches. While all these devices experienced navigation and location errors (e.g., false location at Beirut airport), L5-direct™ delivered accurate locations despite intentional GPS disruptions in the area.

This resilience stems from L5-direct™'s ability to acquire the latest GPS signals transmitted in the L5 frequency band, entirely eliminating the need for the older L1 frequency band signals developed 50 years ago. Although commercial smartphone, vehicle, and aircraft GPS receivers can receive L5 frequency signals, they operate in a hybrid system that initially relies on the outdated L1 frequency band. This means that to use the latest GPS signals, devices must depend on L1 signals, which are currently experiencing disruptions and spoofing in Israel and worldwide.

Given the critical role of GPS today—not just for smartphone users but also for emergency teams, military units, and aircraft—reliance on L1 signals in a hybrid GPS system poses a significant national security risk in both military and public safety sectors.

L5 frequency GPS signals are 30 times more resistant to disruptions compared to L1 signals, providing enhanced performance in challenging navigation areas like urban environments with tall buildings and forested regions. This new technology has the potential to revolutionize GPS usage, from individual personal devices to critical state systems.

Steve Poizner, CEO of oneNav, stated, "We now have clear, indisputable proof that our L5-direct™ technology is resistant to widespread GPS disruptions and can provide accurate locations in challenging areas. Our trial in Israel validates our pioneering technology and demonstrates its potential to revolutionize GPS usage for military and civilian needs."

The field trial was conducted in Israel, but GPS disruptions are a global security concern due to extensive attacks on GPS systems. In Ukraine, Russia counters sophisticated American weapon systems using GPS jamming technology and has been accused of attempting to disrupt GPS systems for over 46,000 flights across Europe. A field study by oneNav in April revealed extensive Russian attempts to jam GPS systems from Finland to Turkey, proving that L5 frequency signals are resistant to these disruptions.

"The need to modernize technology is evident to all," said Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, a member of oneNav’s advisory board and Senior Director at the Center for Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "As our adversaries' capabilities to disrupt GPS systems become more sophisticated, the need to modernize this critical technology is clear. Make no mistake, if GPS disruptions occur in conflict zones, they can happen anywhere in the world, potentially endangering critical civilian infrastructure. oneNav's field trials have proven that there is now technology capable of countering these threats—we just need to use it."

The company's IP is available for testing and integration by chip manufacturers, partners, and selected customers. Chips and modules featuring small size, weight, and power consumption (SWaP) will soon be available to selected customers and partners. The L5-direct™ technology is compatible with various global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) constellations, including GPS, Galileo, BeiDou, and others.

"oneNav is committed to partnerships within the local ecosystem and empowering them through L5-direct™ technology," said Dror Meiri from oneNav's global business development team, who also manages operations in Israel. "Beyond defense applications, L5-direct™ will also impact the civilian market, benefitting end-users whose phones and other devices rely on outdated GPS. The value proposition of this technology is critical not only in Israel but worldwide, marking a significant milestone given the increase in global GPS disruptions."