Lower 900 MHz Band NextNav Interference Impact Study

A research report, filed by the Security Industry Association (SIA) with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), details the risks of a proposal under consideration by the FCC that would restructure portions of the Lower 900 MHz band, which is used by billions of unlicensed, low-power devices.

NextNav has petitioned the FCC to reconfigure the frequencies between 902-928 MHz (the Lower 900 MHz Band) and grant the company a nationwide license for 15 megahertz of spectrum so it can establish a 5G terrestrial-based position, navigation and timing network—radically altering the spectrum. The Lower 900 MHz band is heavily used by “Part 15” security and life safety systems, smart home technology, consumer and business electronics and more devices that would face harmful interference from NextNav’s high-power usage in the band.

New research conducted by engineering consulting firm Pericle Communications Company, commissioned by SIA and with additional support from the Alarm Industry Communications Committee, the Electronic Security Association and The Monitoring Association, shows that the proposal would severely limit the range and compromise the effectiveness of devices operating in this spectrum. This report includes thorough research modeling and simulations that show NextNav’s proposed system would render an enormous number of public safety and mission-critical devices, along with countless other devices, inoperable.