Sorond named NextNav’s CEO to pursue location services, 5G

Mariam Sorond, a wireless executive who previously worked at companies including VMware, CableLabs and Dish Network, will take over the CEO role at NextNav, the company announced.

“Having devoted my career to advancing and commercializing innovation in technology, I am thrilled to continue this journey at the helm of NextNav,” Sorond said in a release. “I am deeply committed to realizing the full value of NextNav’s spectrum asset and next-generation 3D PNT [positioning, navigation and timing] technology to drive growth and deliver long-term shareholder value.”

Sorond joins NextNav at an interesting time.

The company in 2021 merged with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) to go public. NextNav owns nationwide spectrum licenses in the 900MHz band. It’s currently using that spectrum to build a network that improves the accuracy of GPS signals with indoor and vertical information.

Specifically, the company is providing its nationwide “Pinnacle” location network to 911 operators in the US, providing “floor-level” altitude data in over 90% of the commercial structures that are taller than three stories. That Pinnacle network is now being used by all four nationwide wireless network operators in the US – NextNav named AT&T and Verizon specifically as customers – to help route emergency responders to 911 callers inside buildings.

NextNav is also building a “TerraPoiNT” network designed to improve on GPS signals; that network is currently available in 88 markets.

“TerraPoiNT is well suited for urban and indoor environments where existing GPS signals are either distorted or blocked all together,” the company

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