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Iridium® PNT ASIC

A black Iridium PNT ASIC chip showing its 8mm by 8mm dimensions.

Redefining Resilience: Coming 2026

Introducing the Iridium PNT ASIC: A groundbreaking, ultra-small chip designed to provide alternative positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) capabilities anywhere on Earth.  

Small enough to fit anywhere GPS is used, our miniature PNT chip shields critical timing and positioning from jamming, spoofing, meaconing, and time interruptions.  

U.S. quarter, 20 euro cent coin, and Iridium PNT ASIC chip side by side for size comparison.

The Iridium PNT ASIC Offers Developers:

Simplified Integration

  • Small form factor, 8x8mm ASIC designed with standard pinouts to accelerate development 
  • Familiar interfaces that resemble standard GPS/GNSS hardware for quick adoption 
  • Built-in RF and power regulators that cut complexity 
  • Secure, on-chip firmware storage that streamlines deployment 

Versatility

  • Flexible configurations—create a standalone Iridium PNT receiver or hybrid Iridium + GNSS solution 
  • Two independently configurable PPS outputs that support a range of end products 
Iridium® PNT ASIC Technical Specifications
PNT Service Timing Specifications1

Clock Stratum Level

Stratum 0 source

Supports Stratum 1 PTP Grandmaster Clock / Primary Reference Source (PRS)

Timing Stability (Meets ITU-T G.8272 PRTC-A

performance specifications)

Less than 50 nanoseconds, 1-sigma with OCXO oscillator

Less than 25 nanoseconds, 1-sigma with rubidium oscillator

Timing Accuracy

Verified average time offset within 5 nanoseconds of UTC(NIST) over 60 days (source: U.S. NIST)

UTC Traceability

Traceable to UTC(USNO), UTC(NIST), and UTC(IT); continuously monitored via multiple independent geographically distributed tracking stations

PNT Service Position Specifications1

Static-Location Accuracy (Stand-Alone Without GNSS)

Horizontal2: 10 meters, 1-sigma
Vertical2: 10 meters, 1-sigma

Mechanical

Dimensions

68 QFN 8 mm × 8 mm × 0.85 mm (LxWxH)

Electrical Data

Core Power Option

Internal3
External4

Supply voltage (VMAIN)

3.135 V - 3.465 V (3.3 V Typ)

Digital I/O voltage (VDD_IO)

1.71 V - 1.89 V (1.8 V Typ)

Core voltage (VDD_P8V)

N/A

0.776 V - 0.824 V (3% Tolerance)

Power Consumption

VMAIN

320 mA

120 mA

VDD_IO

10 mA

VDD_P8V

N/A

625 mA

Total Power

1.07 W

0.91 W

Interfaces

Peripheral

SPI

1

I2C

up to 3

UART

up to 3

GPIO5

up to 17

Communication

Custom NMEA sentences used for communication and configuration

Digital I/O

2 configurable 1PPS inputs

2 configurable 1PPS outputs6

Configurable clock port, locked to either a reference clock input or 1PPS output

Reference Clock Input

Reference clock (TCXO, OCXO, Rb) input frequency: 40, 26, or 10 MHz (Sine, 50 Ω)

RF

Antenna

Antenna type

Iridium capable

Frequency range

1616-1626.5 MHz

RF input impedance

50Ω

Connectivity

Network Type

Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), L-band

Satellite Service

Iridium PNT

Environmental

Operating temperature

-20°C to 70°C

Storage temperature

-55°C to 150°C

Junction temperature

-40°C to 150°C

Soldering temperature (max)

260°C

1Internally tested specification. Information should be considered “as-is” and Iridium assumes no liability for its use. No warranty, either express or implied, is given, including but not limited to, with respect to accuracy, correctness, reliability, and qualifications in determining performance.
2Static position, outdoor antenna.
3Internal core power option utilizing on-chip DC/DC converter, supports 1 detector.
4Utilizing 0.8 V external core power supply option, bypassing on-chip DC/DC converter.
5Multiplexed interface pins limit availability.
6Automatically tracks the highest priority source satisfying configured performance thresholds, either PNT signal source or external 1PPS input, e.g. from GPS/GNSS.

Iridium PNT: Accurate, Secure, and Available Now

A digital view of Earth surrounded by orbiting satellites connected in a glowing communication grid.

Powered by the first truly global low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation, Iridium PNT:

  • Possesses a signal 1,000 times (30 dB) stronger than GPS/GNSS
  • Operates indoors, in urban canyons, and multi-path environments
  • Utilizes complex, overlapping beam patterns and signal authentication techniques

 

Develop with Us

Collaborate with Iridium to integrate the Iridium PNT ASIC into the next generation of resilient, reliable, and secure PNT solutions.

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