WASHINGTON — Murata Manufacturing, a Japanese supplier of electronic components, has signed an agreement with Xona Space Systems to explore the use of the startup’s satellite-based positioning and timing service in telecommunications, data centers, financial networks and other industries that depend on precise timing signals.
The agreement reflects interest in alternatives to the Global Positioning System, or GPS, which is widely used not only for navigation but also to synchronize critical infrastructure including cellular networks, stock exchanges, power grids and data centers.
California-based Xona is developing a positioning, navigation and timing, or PNT, service known as Pulsar through a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit. The company is positioning the network as an alternative or backup to GPS, particularly in environments where satellite signals may be degraded or disrupted.
Under a memorandum of understanding announced last week, Murata will evaluate applications for Xona’s service in data centers and financial institutions that require highly accurate timing synchronization, including support for emerging 5G and 6G communications networks. The companies will also explore uses in off-road sectors such as construction and agricultural machinery.
Traditional PNT services rely largely on global navigation satellite systems operating from medium Earth orbit, including GPS. However, those signals can be weakened in dense urban areas and can be disrupted by jamming and spoofing.
Xona argues that satellites operating much closer to Earth can transmit stronger signals that are easier to receive indoors and in city centers. Their faster movement across the sky can also improve positioning performance by reducing signal errors caused by reflections from buildings and other obstacles.
The company has signed agreements with receiver makers including Furuno and Hexagon to integrate Pulsar signals into commercial products. Murata could play a comparable role by incorporating Pulsar capabilities into communications modules, timing devices and industrial electronics sold to manufacturers across multiple sectors. Murata produces microelectronic components used in smartphones, automobiles, healthcare equipment and artificial intelligence data centers.
The relationship also builds on an existing financial connection. Murata’s corporate venture arm, Wonderstone Ventures, was an early investor in Xona.
Xona expects its earliest commercial customers to come from industries that require precise timing, as timing services can be delivered with a relatively small number of satellites in orbit. Sectors such as telecommunications, banking and data centers could begin using the system before the company’s full constellation is in orbit. Xona aims to deploy 258 satellites within the next few years.
