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Is low-Earth-orbit (LEO)-based positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) truly necessary, and can it ultimately replace global navigation satellite systems (GNSS)? As demands for resilient localization and timing continue to grow, this question is no longer merely speculative.
Although GNSS remains the worldwide backbone of PNT, its limitations in dense urban areas, partially indoor environments, and interference-prone scenarios have motivated growing interest in complementary architectures. In this context, dedicated LEO-based PNT systems are gaining attention for their stronger signals, faster acquisition, and potential resilience advantages, while wireless positioning within the framework of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is evolving rapidly across terrestrial networks (TNs) and non-TNs (NTNs) in 5G advanced (5 G-Advanced) and future 6G systems.
Meanwhile, artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a key enabler for enhancing localization accuracy and robustness through measurement refinement, multipath mitigation, non-line-of-sight (NLOS) identification, and cross-domain data fusion.
Therefore, the future of positioning is unlikely to be defined by a simple replacement of GNSS; rather, it will likely be shaped by the convergence of GNSS, LEO-based PNT, cellular and NTN positioning, and AI into a unified framework for resilient wireless localization.
Full Article: IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine, Volume 21, Number 2, June 2026
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