What’s Happening
Recently, misleading reports have circulated about the Z-Wave Alliance’s participation in an FCC proceeding on the 902–928 MHz band. We want to clarify what’s happening, why we’re involved, and how you can help.
In 2024, NextNav, a U.S. telecom company, petitioned the FCC to repurpose part of the lower 900 MHz band for a terrestrial 5G / PNT (Positioning, Navigation, and Timing) backup network.
That same band powers billions of low-power devices, including Z-Wave smart home, building, and security products.
NextNav wants to (1) allocate portions of that band (e.g., 902–907 MHz uplink, 918–928 MHz downlink) for higher-power operations; (2) saturate the lower 900 MHz band with high-power traffic, drowning out low-power signals from billions of currently deployed devices that are critical for IoT, utilities, security systems, tolling, smart meters, etc.; (3) relax or eliminate some of the existing FCC rules and protections (e.g. pre-deployment field testing, interference thresholds) that ensure Part 15 devices are shielded from excessive interference.
Because this proposal could cause harmful interference, the Alliance joined a broad coalition of industry groups urging the FCC to request more testing and data before any rule changes. In March 2025, the FCC agreed and opened a broader Notice of Inquiry to explore all GPS backup technologies, not just NextNav’s.
On August 20, NextNav started a media and lobby blitz of the FCC providing technical reports to (1) NextNav’s proposal and its impacts on unlicensed Part 15 devices operating in the lower 900 MHz band; and (2) coexistence with licensed tolling operations and economic impact. You can read the news and links to the reports they submitted to the FCC here: https://nextnav.com/renee-gregory-nextnav-urges-prompt-fcc-action/
The “Pericle” (Pericle Communications) report was filed by the Security Industry Association (SIA) with the FCC on September 12, 2025. The report was commissioned by the SIA (with support from the Alarm Industry Communications Committee, The Monitoring Association (TMA), and the Electronic Security Association (ESA)). It analyzes a proposal by NextNav to restructure the 902–928 MHz (Lower 900 MHz) for a nationwide license for a terrestrial 5G positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) network.
The Pericle report’s simulations and modeling show that this proposal would cause harmful interference to many currently deployed “Part 15” devices and systems, including:
- Panic buttons, motion sensors, smoke/CO detectors
- Personal medical alert / emergency call devices
- Wireless microphones, headsets, license-free two-way radios
- Wireless security cameras, doorbell cameras
- Outdoor security / public safety devices (traffic sensors, gunshot detection, etc.)
According to the Pericle report, because NextNav’s proposed system would operate at much higher power than the low-power devices in the band, interference would severely limit the effective range and reliability of existing systems. The report argues that many devices critical to life safety, security, and infrastructure would become inoperable or significantly degraded if the proposal were approved.
On Monday October 5, the Bull Moose Project released an unsubstantiated report, falsely claiming that opposition to NextNav is driven by “groups linked to Chinese corporations.” Inbound news requests started. Z-Wave provided a comment to the Washington Examiner explaining that its Chinese members didn’t push to take a stance on the FCC terrestrial GPS proposal. Our full response stated:
The Z-Wave Alliance is a 200+ global member organization that operates smart home and IoT devices in the lower 900MHz band (902–928 MHz band); discussions and decisions to move forward were done across the membership under the direction of the Alliance BoD which none of the aforementioned Chinese companies hold seats. The BoD also consulted with allied trade organizations. The Z-Wave Alliance’s opposition is fundamentally rooted in concern that NextNav’s proposal would undermine or damage the ecosystem of low-power devices (including many smart home, security and IoT products) by removing protections and introducing high power operatives in the same band that could lead to degradation, unreliability, or even forced obsolescence of many deployed devices. The 902–928 MHz band is heavily and critically used (utilities, transportation tolling, security, smart buildings/homes). Reorganizing around a single, nationwide high-power license would disrupt many sectors. Objections are echoed across diverse sectors (utilities, transportation, security, broadband ISPs, broadcast, Wi-Fi/LoRa/Wi-SUN/RFID communities). No member company yields more power or say than any other company, however this initiative was driven exclusively by U.S. companies as they have the most at risk with this petition to the FCC."
The Examiner also asked the Alliance to comment on a letter sent to the FCC in September 2024 by a different organization with five overlapping members, including one Chinese company (NIE-TECH). The Alliance explained that, while some of the letter signatories were Z-Wave members, it was not an official Z-Wave Alliance letter, but rather one of the many independent responses sent to the FCC in opposition to the NextNav proposal.
The Washington Examiner nonetheless falsely stated that this letter proved the Z-Wave Alliance’s stance was driven by Chinese member companies at the expense of U.S. security interests. Breitbart has gone further, falsely claiming that “several of these companies have deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party, particularly the Z-Wave Alliance.”
This is incorrect and completely false.
The Z-Wave Alliance is a standards development organization dedicated to developing and advancing Z-Wave technology as an open and internationally recognized ITU standard (G.9959) for smart home and IoT solutions. We have 220+ members, merely 11% of whom are Chinese members certifying their devices on the Z-Wave technology standard, and all of our chip manufacturers are American companies.
The Alliance’s FCC filings were developed under the direction of its U.S.-based Board of Directors and participating member companies. Of the 25 respondents included in the Alliance’s official response, 22 were U.S.-based organizations and 3 have headquarters in Europe with strong brand activities in the United States. Far from “spearheading” the Alliance’s response as asserted, no Chinese-based companies participated actively in the Z-Wave FCC workgroup, none sit on the board, or hold positions with any of the technical, marketing, or executive workgroups. The Alliance has meticulous attendance and activity reports to substantiate these claims. While Z-Wave has global membership, our FCC filings against the NextNav petition were driven exclusively by our U.S. members.
- The Z-Wave Alliance firmly believes that to protect America’s interests, we should continue to follow the guidance of the FCC’s call for further technical review and not fall to gaslighting from NextNav, a publicly traded telco company that started buying up RF licenses for a Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) application it doesn’t actually have permission to build, sinking its balance sheet deep in the red.
- The Z-Wave Alliance is a conservative organization that fully supports strengthening America’s future through a resilient, 5G-based backup to GPS. For over two decades, industry leaders and standards bodies have advanced multiple PNT solutions before the FCC. America must enhance its national security and infrastructure without sacrificing the reliability of technologies that already serve millions of consumers and businesses. We welcome resilient PNT solutions that protect what works today—hundreds of millions of low-power devices that secure our American homes, utilities, tolling, businesses, and smart buildings.
- NextNav has petitioned the FCC to gain control of the airwaves and crowd out unlicensed incumbents, but faces massive opposition from companies, industry consortia, and individual experts; but the FCC listened and started looking for alternatives to the original proposal.
- NextNav then doubled down, buying up even more licenses even as they post massive net losses and underperforming revenue.
- Suddenly, a paid report from the “America First” think tank, the Bull Moose Project, attempted to portray the telecom’s critics as agents of the Chinese government—a baseless claim that ignores the extensive, well-documented efforts of dozens of U.S. organizations and companies that have publicly filed their America-first arguments against turning over the 900 MHz frequency to a single, for-profit corporation.
- No one should simply accept that NextNav’s solution is the only solution. NextNav’s suggested implementation is merely the wrong solution and we, the Z-Wave Alliance, are committed to making sure we get the right solution: one that does not disrupt operations for key American infrastructure or compromise the security of American homes and businesses.
- The Z-Wave Alliance is a standards body focused on engineering outcomes, not politics. Our priority is protecting the reliability and safety of the 902–928 MHz ecosystem that Americans depend on every day. We support President Trump’s initiative to secure America’s PNT future and we will continue to back a careful, data-driven process that protects American homes and businesses.
Where Things Stand
- The FCC has not approved NextNav’s proposal; it remains under review.
- The Alliance is working with partners such as IEEE, SIA, Wi-SUN, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to provide accurate technical input.
- Our communications and legal teams are addressing misinformation and reinforcing Z-Wave’s credibility as a standards body, not a political actor.
