Iridium unveils chip to bring GPS protection to mass-market devices

TAMPA, Fla. — Iridium Communications plans to release a tiny chip next year to protect devices relying on navigation satellites from jamming and spoofing, reinforcing one of the L-band operator’s core strengths as SpaceX’s Starlink encroaches on other parts of its business.

The company said Oct. 27 it has started inviting partners to test a thumbnail-sized chip that can be embedded directly into products, from mobile devices to major infrastructure systems such as power grids, enabling them to use positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) signals from its 66 low Earth orbit satellites.

The Iridium PNT ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) would bring to market a capability it already offers through external receivers, designed to deliver authenticated time and location data up to 1,000 times stronger than GPS signals, but without the need for additional hardware. Iridium’s service also works indoors in places GPS satellite signals do not reach.

“This is a first. To provide this type of capability on a global basis has never been done before,” said Iridium CEO Matt Desch. “The size, low cost, and scalability of this solution to protect GPS is a major breakthrough.”

The Iridium PNT ASIC is slated for commercial availability in mid-2026, following beta trials with early adopters. 

The company cited several reported recent incidents underlining a growing need to do more to protect GPS and other Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) constellations, including the spoofing of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s aircraft navigation system in September.

Earlier this month, GNSS disruptions off Qatar temporarily halted maritime operations.

Iridium also pointed to a report from aviation safety group OPSGROUP last year that highlighted a 500% increase in the spoofing of commercial airliners, with around 1,500 commercial flights a day now encountering GPS spoofing.

“GPS and GNSS were never designed to be secure in the consumer sense,” said Iridium vice president of commercial PNT Rohit Braggs during a media briefing.

“They were never designed to be resilient, and yet we built an entire digital economy on top of them. It’s like building a skyscraper on a sandcastle.”

He also noted how “GPS and GNSS vulnerabilities have become a front line in modern hybrid warfare” amid increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.

Last year, Iridium bought out Satelles, which has been broadcasting timing and location signals since 2016 through a channel Iridium satellites previously used for paging.

The voice and data connectivity operator’s PNT services have become increasingly important to its long-term strategy amid growing competition from Starlink, which primarily provides broadband services.

Last week, Iridium lowered its service revenue outlook and suspended share buybacks to focus on long-term growth opportunities, citing Starlink’s $17 billion spectrum acquisition from EchoStar as a potential disruptor to parts of its business.

Analysts see alternative PNT as a fast-growing market expected to reach $3.5 billion by 2032. Other companies such as Xona Space Systems are also developing satellites to pursue this opportunity.