Why your phone’s GPS desperately needs a huge overhaul

Most modern technology, including smartphones, runs on GPS. But the system might be more vulnerable to failures than you think. The U.S. lacks backup geolocation technology, meaning outages or interference could be catastrophic. Russia has threatened to destroy GPS satellites, and recently faulty GPS signals temporarily closed a Dallas airport.

Thankfully, companies are stepping in to help guard GPS. NextNav recently signed a deal to provide new technology called TerraPoiNT that serves as a backup for GPS, using existing LTE and 5G networks. "TerraPoiNT's signal is over 100,000 times stronger than GPS, and its signal encryption makes it more resistant ...