Court Says Ligado Can Move Forward With $39 Billion Lawsuit
Ligado believes the government hijacked its spectrum...DoD says the company's ambitions interfere with GPS
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A U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge this week has allowed Ligado Networks' $39 billion suit to move forward against the federal government over claims it unconstitutionally took licensed 5G spectrum.
In a ruling that hasn’t received much press, Judge Edward Damich said while Ligado’s assertion that the FCC license to operate was not a property right that was a subject to a federal taking, the company had made its case that the portion of the spectrum that the DoD was using was a property interest. For its part, government lawyers argued that Ligado was not adhering to FCC spectrum license requirements that relate to potential interference with GPS.
The government in January filed a motion in the Claims Court to dismiss the lawsuit that alleges federal agencies blocked its legally assigned spectrum. In the motion, government lawyers contend that the court lacks jurisdiction because the Federal Communications Act established a remedial scheme, including Ligado’s taking claim that arises out of FCC licensing decisions. In addition, the motion says that even if the court has jurisdiction, “Ligado cannot establish a cognizable property interest in its FCC license.”
Ligado, in its October 2023 legal filings, contends that the U.S. government, in “a multiyear misinformation and disparagement campaign” to conceal its activities, misappropriated the company’s licensed spectrum to support [U.S. Defense Department] systems without permission or compensation. In addition to the government, Ligado filed suit against the Department of Defense, Department of Commerce and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
Ligado, which hasn’t made a public announcement about the newest court decision, said that the FCC, in a 2020 decision, granted the company exclusive authority over the use and licensing of the spectrum, which operates near that of GPS.
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Qualcomm Sets $22 Billion Target in IoT, Automotive Markets
Qualcomm QCOM 0.00%↑ discussed financial targets of $22 billion, by September 2029, for IoT and automotive markets at its 2024 Investor Day this week. The ambitious target comes after the company said it is trying to decrease its dependency in one core market area: the mobile handset market.
“We’re organizing ourselves to be highly relevant in this space,” Nakul Duggal, Qualcomm GM, Automotive, Industrial and Embedded IoT, and Cloud Computing, said during his presentation on Tuesday. “I’m confident we’ll see the same success we’ve seen in other markets.”
While fairly nebulous about specific products or technology, Qualcomm said its IoT strategies will be modeled on the Snapdragon Digital Chassis solution and focus around “components, solutions and developer support that is specifically curated for the needs of each industry.”
Qualcomm said that because companies are looking to “add more intelligence to the edge, whether they’re tracking products in a warehouse or with surveillance cameras in a secured energy facility,” the company plans to focus on IoT technologies. The company pointed out, in addition to their hardware and software stacks, location and observability services as leading IoT areas they are getting more involved with.
It’s an ambitious goal for the company as it totaled a little more than $8.3 billion in total automotive and IoT revenue last year combined. For its fourth quarter this year, the company said it had $8.7 billion in revenue—much of it coming from automotive, IoT and handsets segments.
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Trimble Gets Big Fleet Contract from PFG
Trimble TRMB 0.00%↑ has announced that one of North America’s largest food distribution companies, Performance Food Group Company (PFG), has selected Trimble the company as its fleet management provider to serve its entire fleet business.
Trimble will provide fleet management and telematics solutions to vehicles in all of PFG’s three business segments including Performance Foodservice Core-Mark and Vistar. All the company vehicles will be equipped with Trimble Instinct.
While PFG has been a Trimble customer for more than 20 years, the new deal, of which financial details were not released, will double the amount of trucks with in-cab technology from 4,000 to more than 8,000. Trimble said that PFG’s decision to equip its entire fleet comes after it spent years of using several types of fleet management systems, which complicated communication and workflows.
Other Location News
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Top News:
☹ North Korea's GPS Jamming Expands To Wider Regions Along Inter-Korean Border. “North Korea appears to be jamming GPS signals in wider regions along its border with South Korea, a military official said Saturday, with the series of jamming believed to be linked to the North's own training against drones.”
🙂 Globalstar Partner Spotter Achieves Milestone of Over 30,000 Satellite IoT Collars Deployed Across Central Asia. “Globalstar Europe Satellite Services, a subsidiary of Globalstar GSAT 0.00%↑ has announced that value added reseller Spotter has seen sales of its satellite IoT-enabled horse tracking collar more than double in the last 24 months.
🤔 Korean Firms Shy Away From CES. “Fewer Korean tech firms are willing to expand their promotional spending for CES, opting instead to hold their own events without paying the enormous costs associated with participating in the world’s largest tech fair early next year, industry officials said Monday.”
😒 Space Tech Giant Maxar Confirms Hacker Accessed Employees' Personal Data. “In a required data breach notice filed with California’s attorney general last week, Maxar said a hacker using a Hong Kong-based IP address compromised its network on Oct. 4 to access files containing employee’s personal data.”
🏎 Powering Fan Engagement for Racing Events with Amazon Location Service. “While traditional sensor-based tracking works well within venues, scaling these solutions across events spanning tens or hundreds of miles presents significant challenges. Race organizers using RFID timing systems can only provide readings at limited checkpoints, and the required infrastructure makes scaling cost-prohibitive.”
👍 Beaconsmind Group acquires ICT service provider Swissnet AG.
Maps
😐 Google Maps Gets New Interface Update, Maybe Now You'll Like the New Colors. “Google Maps has changed the color of the buttons across its interface, now using a mild teal shade instead of the previous blue accent. I don't know about you, but I like the change, as it makes Google Maps feel more coherent from one end to the other.”
🗺 Apple Maps Just Got Smarter in iOS 18 — Here's How To Use the New Features. “Although there has long been a debate surrounding Google Maps vs Apple Maps, there is no denying that both are extremely useful tools. It’s also safe to say that they’ve both improved vastly over the years with Apple AAPL 0.00%↑ in particular having bolstered its offering with the introduction of iOS 18.”
😏 The Google Maps Location History/Timeline Change Is Still Rolling Out.
📲 Google Maps Updated With a Reporting Feature Waze Can Only Dream About. “The feature is available within the app when expanding a transit station – you should see an option called ‘Report delay’ right next to the directions button.”
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Connected and Autonomous Vehicles:
📌 Trump Team Is Seeking to Ease US Rules for Self-Driving Cars. “Members of President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team have told advisers they plan to make a federal framework for self-driving vehicles one of the Transportation Department’s priorities, according to people familiar with the matter.”
💲 Pony AI Gears Up For $4.48 Billion Valuation In US IPO Amid Autonomous Vehicle Boom.
👉 Nuro Expands Driverless Testing After Pivoting To Licensing Its Av Tech. “The California-based company, which currently operates a small fleet of driverless vehicles in California and Texas, said it would grow its operational design domain and expand the deployment of its zero-occupant, Level 4 vehicles.”
🏛 Cruise Admits to Criminal Cover-up of Pedestrian Dragging in SF, Will Pay $500K Penalty. “San Francisco robotaxi company Cruise’s long saga over its car’s 2023 dragging of a knocked-over pedestrian has finally reached an end, with the company admitting to criminal behavior and agreeing to pay a $500,000 penalty.”
🤔 US Agency Says, Despite Tesla's Statements, Vehicles Can't Drive Themselves. “The U.S. government’s highway safety agency says Tesla TSLA 0.00%↑ is telling drivers in public statements that its vehicles can drive themselves, conflicting with owner’s manuals and briefings with the agency saying the electric vehicles need human supervision.”
Fleet Telematics:
🚛 Verizon Connect Report Highlights Fleet Tech Adoption, ROI Gains, and Safety Improvements. “Key U.S. findings include widespread adoption of fleet technology. For the fifth consecutive year, the Fleet Technology Trends Report shows strong adoption of fleet technology, with more than 80 percent of respondents consistently utilizing at least one form of technology. GPS fleet tracking is a standout, with 69 percent of fleets across industries reporting its use.
🚍 Samara Teams Up With Northland on Telematics Initiative. As a Samsara IOT 0.00%↑ partner, qualifying Northland customers will receive a subsidy of up to $300 annually per vehicle to use towards a Samsara AI Dash Cam purchase, or receive a 10 percent insurance premium discount, depending on program eligibility.
🌎 Geotab Unveils New Sustainability Solutions for Fleets. “Geotab announced, at Mobility Connect in Milan, a suite of data-driven sustainability solutions to address decarbonisation, cost management and opportunities to improve performance, including a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report.”
Financial:
💲 ANELLO Photonics Secures Series B Funding For Autonomous INS.
ANELLO Photonics has closed a Series B funding round led by Lockheed Martin LMT 0.00%↑, Catapult Ventures and One Madison Group. This funding round will increase ANELLO's efforts to offer positioning and navigation in GPS-denied environments, the company said.
✔ BeWhere Holdings Reports Third Quarter 2024.
💰 Vehicle Payment Platform KeySavvy Earns $4.25 Million Funding Boost.
📈 NextNav NN 0.00%↑ Reports Third Quarter 2024 Results. “Net Loss: was $13.6 million in the three months ended Sept. 30, 2024, including a gain on the change in fair value of warrants and liability associated with the Telesaurus asset purchase of $2.5 million, as compared to a net loss of $23.2 million in the prior year period, including a loss on the fair value of the warrants of $6.7 million.
✔ Airgain Reports Q3 Growth, Eyes 5G and Asset Tracking Markets.
✔ Ituran Presents Third Quarter 2024 Results.
Location Industry Briefs
Send your news releases to kdennehy@driverlessreport.com. Go to www.locationbusinessnews.com for more news and an archive of stories.
Swift Navigation and KDDI Launch Skylark PPS in Japan
Swift Navigation and Japan-based mobile network operator KDDI Corporation announced the commercial launch of Skylark Precise Positioning Service in the Japanese market. The company said Skylark, with centimeter-level accuracy, enables precise operation of ADAS-enabled and autonomous vehicles and outdoor robots such as robotic lawnmowers and agricultural equipment. Skylark is now available across North America, Europe, and Asia, the company said.
Contact: Swift Navigation, press@swift-nav.com, www.swiftnav.com/products/skylark.
Telit Cinterion SE868K5-DR Offers Untethered Dead Reckoning for IoT Positioning Applications
Telit Cinterion has announced the SE868K5-DR, a dual-band, multi-constellation positioning receiver with untethered dead reckoning (UDR). The SE868K5-DR is ideal for asset tracking, telematics and other applications, the company said.
The SE868K5-DR has the same form factor as the Telit Cinterion SE868K5 and SE868SY series, but allows systems designers to add an external 6-axis sensor for UDR, the company said. The dual-band (L1+L5) receiver includes a SAW filter to ensure performance in all environments, including when co-located with other radios, the company said.
Contact: Leslie Hart, Telit Cinterion, (919) 415-1510, leslie.hart@telit.com, www.telit.com/devices/se868k5-dr.
u-blox launches its first LTE Cat 1bis module with Wireless Logic
Thalwil, Switzerland –based u-blox has launched the SARA-R10001DE, a LTE Cat 1bis module featuring an embedded SIM supporting multi-IMSI technology with Wireless Logic’s connectivity. Wireless Logic’s connectivity is designed to improve the robustness, reliability, and resilience of IoT applications, the company said.
SARA-R10001DE is marketed for asset tracking, telematics, micro-mobility, solar technology, smart homes, and cities, and point of sales, the company said.
Contact: Sven Etzold, u-blox, 41 76 561 0066, sven.etzold@u-blox.com, www.u-blox.com.
Digital Matter Rolls Out Manta Fusion
Digital Matter has launched the Manta Fusion battery-powered asset tracking solution. Manta Fusion offers GNSS support, while maintaining indoor performance, comparable to the company’s Edge device product line, the company said.
Featuring a new low-profile, IP68-rated housing, the Manta Fusion is engineered for low-power consumption, with 10-plus years of battery life, the company said.
Contact: Digital Matter, www.digitalmatter.com.
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AeroVironment’s UAV’s Get Software Upgrades
AeroVironment AVAC 0.00%↑ has announced software updates, called Project GOLD, for its Puma 3 AE and Puma LE, in contested environments. The new updates bolster the Puma uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) to maintain reliable navigation and mission performance even when GNSS and communications signals are unreliable, unavailable or deliberately jammed, the company said.
The software-only upgrades ensure Puma UAS can continue mission-critical tasks autonomously and securely, reducing reliance on GPS and enhancing survivability in hostile areas, the company said. Puma 3 AE and Puma LE now support additional advanced Assured Position Navigation and Timing (APNT) capabilities in GNSS denied environments.
Contact: Rene´ Bardorf, AeroVironment, (703) 418-2828, pr@avinc.com, www.avinc.com.
Quectel Launches GNSS Antennas
Quectel Wireless Solutions recently launched two combo antennas, the YEMD302L1A and YEMD301L1A 4G and GNSS 3-in-1 antenna. YEMD302L1A supports a broad frequency range for reliable 4G coverage, including 700-960 MHz and 1710-2690 MHz bands.
The YEMD301L1A supports 4G in the 700-960 MHz and 1710-2690 MHz frequency bands and GNSS in the 1565-1606 MHz band. Ideal for locations where the antenna is required to be discrete, the antenna has the same dimensions as the YEMD302L1A, the company said.
Contact: Quectel, media@quectel.com, www.quectel.com.
People
Brendan Carr, senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, has been slated to run the FCC by the incoming Trump administration.
NextNav NN 0.00%↑ co-founder and CTO Arun Raghupathy received the University of Maryland’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award.
Clayton Turner will serve as the associate administrator of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at the agency’s headquarters in Washington.
Ardeshir Mohamadi has joined Fugro as senior project lead, GNSS.
Jobs
Corporate Controller. Swift Navigation.
Product Development Manager. Quectel.
Distributor Sales Manager South East UK. Topcon Positioning Systems.
Sales Solutions Architect. HERE Technologies.
Program Controller. European Space Agency.
Forensics Solutions Sales Manager. Trimble.
Vulnerability Management Engineer. NextNav.
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