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Silicon Valley satellite navigation startup oneNav has unveiled what it claims is the world’s first Pure L5 mobile GNSS receiver, providing the “highest location accuracy with half the footprint of existing solutions.”

L5 signals are the most updated and precise tracking signals originating from the GPS, Galileo, Beidou and QZSS navigation satellite constellations. The most common navigational signals used today are “L1+L5” hybrid signals, which must first acquire L1 signals before transitioning to L5 tracking.

oneNav said its Pure L5 solution both acquires and tracks on the new L5 signals, which eliminates the need for L1 circuitry and cuts the size of necessary GNSS Radio Frequency (RF) hardware in half. The solution utilizes AI and machine learning to increase accuracy in challenging, dense urban “canyons” — the spaces between large urban structures. This would optimize Pure L5 for applications requiring high precision in dense environments such as rideshare services, emergency response, and asset tracking.

The startup made two other announcements alongside the release of Pure L5. First, it announced that it closed a $21 million Series B funding round, led by GV, with participation from Norwest Venture Partners and GSR Ventures. The Series B brings oneNav’s total funding to $33 million. Second, it signed a strategic partnership agreement with Arlington-based venture capital firm In-Q-Tel, which will help oneNav provide the Pure L5 solution to U.S. intelligence and defense agencies.

“The mobile device industry — from phones to wearables — has made tremendous progress over the last 20 years,” stated Karim Faris, general partner of oneNav investor GV. “What’s surprising is that location-based services continue to have a significant margin of error, which can make all the difference when locating a rideshare passenger or pinpointing an emergency situation. With oneNav’s Pure L5 Mobile GNSS receiver, OEMs [Original Equipment Manufacturers] and application service companies will have the opportunity to provide their customers with state-of-the-art location-based services, driving competitive advantage.”