NextNav Inc. (NASDAQ:NN) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript

Ganesh Pattabiraman: Yes, I can take a stab at it, and Gary, you may want to add some color here. So I think, Mike, I would say that, I think the original paradigm where we had looked at spectrum as some portion of it being used for PNT resilience and another portion for maybe excess data carrying capacity I would say that’s probably not the paradigm we are looking at as we have gotten a better understanding of the technologies and how we can synergize and leverage them for maximum — to reach their maximum potential. I think our current view really is that it’s not an either/or, it’s a combination in the sense that, if we look at our full band of 8 megahertz within the band, you can certainly structure capabilities such that you can meet the PNT timing requirements with, may think of it similar to as what we may do with LTE signals where you’re sending timing signals for a short burst of time, but then it’s data carrying for the remainder portion.

So there are configurations like that, that we are potentially evaluating. And I think that’s where our experimental license will come into play. But the framework really is going to be to support both the requirements of PNT and data carrying across our entire spectrum in a coordinated fashion.

Michael Crawford: Okay. Thank you very much.

Gary Parsons: Sure.

Ganesh Pattabiraman: Thanks.

Operator: Thank you. We go next now to Timothy Horan at Oppenheimer.

Timothy Horan: Thanks, guys. So just following up on that, basically, you’re saying that the timing wanted to feel with data transport basically do both at the same time, with timing use like 10% of the capacity or I know you’re early stages on this would it, or any other color around that would be great? And then on the spectrum, what are you hoping from the Biden Administration here on their plans for broadband or sorry, for finding more wireless spectrum?

Ganesh Pattabiraman: Yeah. I can take a stab at the first one. And then I think — so to answer your question there, Tim, we haven’t finalized on that piece. I mean, I think, how — what portion of our signal would be timing versus what portion data carrying, I think that’s part of the work that we have planned for the year. And so — but if you look at a good example is, in LTE, there’s ability to send or in 5G an ability to send a PRS type waveform for 0 to 10, or 20 milliseconds, whatever the time period might be, those certainly are constructs that are available, but we will be experimenting further into that because I think our mandate is slightly different to — and it is to deliver that high quality resilient PNT capability in addition to potentially unlocking the spectrum for data carrying capacity. So we don’t have an exact framework yet. I think — but those are the existing work that’s been done in 3GPP would serve as good models for us to evaluate.

Timothy Horan: And then just on that point, so you probably wouldn’t need any more approval from the FCC or a change in license to do ,what you’re describing right now. You could probably just go ahead and do that?

Ganesh Pattabiraman: No. We’ve — to make it sort of commercially available, we will need to get FCC approval, but we are experimenting right now. And as I mentioned earlier, we did file an experimental license to evaluate these configurations. But to get the final approval, we will have to go through an FCC process.

Timothy Horan: Okay. Got it. And then, what are you hoping from the broadband or spectrum plan wireless ?

Ganesh Pattabiraman: Gary, do you want to take that one? You may have lost Gary. I’m not sure. Can you hear us? Okay. I’ll take a stab at it. I mean, I think as…