Castanet and Rypplzz Deploy 5G Broadcast Geospatial Positioning for Physical AI

Joint effort to enhance 5G Broadcast infrastructure with innovative spatial capabilities that exceed GPS

Spatial intelligence leader Rypplzz has partnered with Castanet Corporation, a leading innovator in the transformation of television stations into hybrid 5G Broadcast internet infrastructure for physical AI, to elevate nationwide terrestrial over-the-air geospatial positioning. Through the new partnership, Castanet will embed Rypplzz technology into its hybrid ATSC 3.0 + 5G Broadcast Internet network, unlocking exact three-axis (X, Y, Z) Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) performance and ultra-reliable nanosecond timing for physical AI networks across the country.

Initial pilot deployments are planned to launch with the Castanet networks in Las Vegas and Silicon Valley, leveraging a software-defined PNT architecture seamlessly integrated with 5G Broadcast and unicast wireless networks. Operating under the 3GPP Release 18 standard for 5G Broadcast, the partnership will merge Castanet’s high-power UHF spectrum with Rypplzz’s spatial intelligence solution. Together, the companies plan to establish a highly resilient, ultra-accurate 3D positioning network, transforming traditional broadcast systems into location-aware digital infrastructure for physical AI.

The hardware-agnostic Rypplzz platform will enhance Castanet’s wide-area 5G Broadcast Internet network by adding a high-precision spatial engine. This provides businesses, venues and media operators seamless access to three-axis location data, fueling end-user applications for physical AI and sensor fusion while accelerating the nationwide rollout of location-aware services.

By combining Castanet’s hybrid ATSC 3.0 and 5G Broadcast infrastructure with Rypplzz’s spatial intelligence platform, the companies will expand the capabilities of wireless networks. Beyond delivering connectivity and content, the Castanet network will be able to pinpoint precisely where and when devices, assets and activities occur in 3D space, establishing a secure, trusted foundation for real-time spatial positioning and precise timing data.

Castanet is developing a high-capacity, one-to-all 5G Broadcast Internet architecture using TV broadcast spectrum to complement traditional unicast mobile and broadband networks. This hybrid approach enables the rapid scaling of a new, highly cost-effective, nationwide network combining spatial intelligence with content distribution and emerging positioning and timing applications.

The Rypplzz platform ingests RF measurements, positioning reference signals, timing data, transmitter geometry and other sensor observations directly from the Castanet network. By normalizing and calibrating these data streams, Rypplzz applies multi-source positioning, temporal assurance, digital-twin intelligence and sensor fusion to deliver highly reliable 3D spatial positioning for both indoor and outdoor environments.

Engineered to integrate smoothly into Castanet’s expanding infrastructure, the Rypplzz software-defined architecture eliminates the need for a separate, parallel positioning network.

Jon Romm, chief executive officer of Castanet Corporation, said, “As the Castanet network continues to expand throughout the United States, its platform will host a wide range of enhanced services that will benefit from its unprecedented hybrid ATSC 3.0 + 5G Broadcast Internet network based on robust UHF low-band TV frequencies. The addition of the Rypplzz spatial intelligence technology increases the value of the Castanet platform, enabling other vertical markets and relationships with strategic partners that will increase our revenue growth potential.”

Vern Fotheringham, founder & executive chairman of Castanet Corporation, said, “Castanet is building a fundamentally different kind of network, one that uses the extraordinary reach and efficiency of broadcast infrastructure to complement traditional unicast internet wired and wireless networks. By combining our platform with Rypplzz spatial intelligence, we anticipate creating an entirely new category of secure, robust PNT infrastructure providing trusted time, trusted events and trusted coordination for physical AI, data centers, public safety, military, media, resulting in unprecedented data analytics quality for all forms of next-generation digital services.”

Josh Pendrick, founder & CEO of Rypplzz, said, “Connectivity becomes dramatically more valuable when the network understands the physical world around it. Castanet provides a powerful terrestrial broadcast and timing foundation, and Rypplzz delivers the spatial intelligence layer that connects the physical and digital worlds in real time.”

Information for this article was sourced from Castanet Corporation and Rypplzz.