PNT Labs: Strengthening Australia’s PNT Future

PNT Labs is a FrontierSI initiative dedicated to improving the accuracy, reliability and resilience of positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) technologies.

Comprising a network of “moving labs” platforms, PNT Labs strengthens national capability by testing and improving the performance of PNT systems in GNSS-degraded environments across road, rail, sea, and air.

Through targeted program offerings including interference testing, aviation performance analytics and LEO PNT signal testing, PNT Labs strengthens national capability and supports the development of resilient PNT technologies. This work supports the development and readiness of resilient PNT technologies that underpin critical infrastructure, defence, and the everyday systems Australians rely on.

Our Role

Satellite-based PNT technologies are part of daily life. They use GNSS signals (e.g. GPS) to guide planes, trains, ships and cars, support defence and emergency response, enable farming and resource management, and sit inside every smartphone.

But these systems have critical weaknesses:

  • Weak signals: By the time GNSS signals reach Earth, they are faint and can be vulnerable to RF interference and intentional signal disruption.
  • Limited protection: Civilian GNSS signals are not encrypted or verified, making them vulnerable to signal interference.
  • Degraded performance in obstructed environments: GNSS does not perform well in environments with obstructions such as tall buildings and trees.

PNT Labs recreates these threats in a safe, controlled way to better understand how systems behave under pressure. This helps evaluate technologies under test conditions, helps technologists develop trusted solutions, and builds operational safety and resilience across the industries and infrastructure Australia depends on most.

Our Services

PNT Labs offers a suite of specialised testing and advisory services designed to strengthen navigation performance and resilience:

  • Simulated GNSS degradation and testing
  • LEO PNT signal testing
  • PNT capability testbeds
  • Aviation analytics
  • Technology advisory

Real-World Trials: From Tracks to the Bay

Our labs are testing navigation technologies where they matter most – in motion. Recent trials include:

  • Rail: Centimetre-level track mapping and Laser Velocity Sensor trials under GNSS disruptions at the Victorian Goldfields Railway
  • Road: Mobile phone positioning tests using correction services
  • Air: Validation of spoofing detection technology using ADS-B data
  • Sea: Performance validation of inertial navigation systems with the Port Phillip Sea Pilots

Railway Lab

The first PNT Lab was established at the Victorian Goldfields Railway (VGR) in Central Victoria, where heritage tracks now host FrontierSI trials. In December 2024, the site was mapped to 1 cm accuracy using high-precision GNSS receivers on rail vehicles. This reference track provides a consistent benchmark for testing how systems perform when signals are disrupted.

Maritime

The second lab is focused on maritime navigation resilience, testing a range of PNT technologies under simulated signal interference conditions. Located in Port Phillip Bay, the lab operates in partnership with the Port Phillip Sea Pilots, who provide vessels for testing. Trials involve sailing through the heads and along the narrow shipping channel to simulate the movement of a large container vessel. During each run, the navigation equipment is subjected to controlled and simulated interference to assess whether it can maintain course accuracy and keep the vessel safely within the channel.

Infrastructure Partners

Infrastructure partners are partners who provide us with access to their platforms for testing. Our current partners include:

Building Australia’s PNT Test Capability

Testing resilient navigation in the real world is difficult. Broadcasting interference over the air is both dangerous and often illegal. That is why PNT Labs developed a method to feed interference signals directly into the sensors under test, safely recreating real-world electronic interference to target PNT devices without affecting other users or systems.

With each trial, PNT Labs is understanding system behaviour under failure, and demonstrating what is possible when navigation safety is put to the test.

Case Studies

Download PNT Labs Flyer

Get Involved

PNT Labs will continue delivering safe, realistic trials through its “moving labs,” validating system resilience in operational, degraded environments.

If you are developing PNT products and technologies, want their performance independently tested, or want to better understand their limits, we invite you to get in touch.

Contact us: pnt@frontiersi.com.au