Topcon Partners With Xona To Strengthen Resilient GNSS Infrastructure
The race to secure resilient, high precision positioning infrastructure has entered a new phase. Topcon Positioning Systems has signed a commercial agreement with Xona to gain early adopter access to Pulsar, Xona’s emerging low Earth orbit satellite navigation constellation. On the surface, it is a technology partnership. In reality, it signals a deeper shift in how the construction, infrastructure and geomatics sectors will approach positioning resilience in the decade ahead.
For professionals responsible for highways, rail corridors, ports, utilities and urban megaprojects, centimetre level accuracy is no longer a luxury. It is fundamental to productivity, compliance and risk management. As digital construction workflows tighten tolerances and autonomous systems move from pilot schemes to operational reality, traditional satellite navigation frameworks are being pushed to their limits. That is where low Earth orbit, or LEO, constellations enter the picture.
LEO Navigation for Infrastructure
Global Navigation Satellite Systems such as GPS, Galileo and GLONASS operate primarily in medium Earth orbit, approximately 20,000 kilometres above the planet. These systems have transformed surveying, machine control and asset mapping. However, their distance from Earth makes signals comparatively weak by the time they reach receivers on construction sites or agricultural machinery. In dense urban environments or near heavy equipment, signal obstruction and multipath interference can degrade performance.
LEO constellations operate at far lower altitudes, typically between 500 and 2,000 kilometres. The reduced distance means stronger signals and potentially lower latency. According to research from the European Space Agency and various academic institutions examining next generation PNT architectures, LEO satellites can enhance signal robustness and complement existing GNSS frameworks, particularly in environments prone to interference or jamming.
That distinction is not academic. Construction projects increasingly take place in signal challenging environments, from deep urban corridors to mountainous transport routes. Resilient positioning has direct implications for automated grading, drone mapping, digital twins and remote monitoring systems. When positioning fails, productivity drops and risk rises. By seeking early access to Pulsar, Topcon is effectively placing a bet on a layered navigation future.
A Layered Approach to Resilient PNT
Pulsar, Xona’s LEO based positioning, navigation and timing constellation, is designed to work alongside existing GNSS systems rather than replace them. The company describes its aim as delivering centimetre level certainty with enhanced protection against jamming and spoofing. Those threats are no longer theoretical. Interference incidents affecting GNSS have been widely documented in recent years, particularly near geopolitical hotspots and major transport hubs.
For infrastructure owners and contractors, the implications are serious. Rail signalling systems, port logistics, autonomous haulage fleets and precision agriculture all depend on reliable PNT data. In its 2023 report on GNSS market evolution, the European GNSS Agency highlighted the growing economic reliance on satellite positioning, noting that global GNSS revenues are forecast to reach hundreds of billions of euros by the end of the decade. Any systemic vulnerability in that infrastructure becomes a strategic concern.
By integrating a LEO layer such as Pulsar into its workflows, Topcon is preparing for a future in which multi orbit, multi frequency positioning becomes standard practice. This is less about chasing marginal gains and more about safeguarding operational continuity. As projects become more automated and data driven, the tolerance for signal downtime narrows considerably.
Strategic Positioning for Construction Technology
Topcon Positioning Systems has long been associated with precision technologies across construction, geomatics and agriculture. Headquartered in Livermore, California, with European operations in Zoetermeer and a parent company in Tokyo founded in 1932, the business sits at the intersection of hardware, software and field workflows. Machine control, GNSS receivers, laser scanning and digital site solutions form part of its established portfolio.
The agreement with Xona aligns with a broader industry pattern. Major equipment manufacturers and technology providers are seeking to embed greater autonomy and intelligence into machines. Autonomous earthmoving, automated paving and drone based progress tracking all depend on accurate, resilient positioning. A navigation layer that can strengthen signal performance in challenging conditions directly supports those ambitions.
Ron Oberlander, head of the Topcon Geomatics Platform, framed the agreement in terms of long term innovation strategy: “The letter of agreement reinforces Topcon’s long-standing commitment to innovation and customer-driven technology leadership. It lays the groundwork for a new era of high-precision performance possibilities as LEO satellites come online. By proactively adopting next-generation navigation infrastructure, we strengthen our commitment to provide reliable, resilient, and future-proof solutions for our customers.”
That statement reflects a forward looking posture rather than a reactive one. By engaging early, Topcon gains influence over integration pathways and product development, ensuring that LEO capabilities align with real world construction workflows rather than remaining a theoretical enhancement.
Strengthening Signal Confidence in the Field
From the perspective of Xona, the partnership provides a pathway into heavy industry applications where accuracy and continuity are paramount. Bryan Chan, co-founder and VP of Strategy at Xona, underlined that focus: “Topcon understands where accuracy, continuity, and confidence matter most for operators in the field. By adding a modern navigation layer into Topcon’s offerings, Pulsar will strengthen signal performance and resiliency in even the most challenging environments, ensuring Topcon customers can operate with greater confidence wherever their work takes them.”
Confidence is not a soft metric in construction. Survey errors can cascade through project lifecycles, leading to rework, contractual disputes and safety risks. Automated systems rely on precise geospatial alignment to avoid collisions and maintain tolerances. As digital twins become embedded in infrastructure asset management, spatial data integrity underpins long term performance modelling.
In environments where GNSS signals are weak or compromised, contractors often deploy local augmentation systems or rely on terrestrial corrections. A LEO overlay has the potential to reduce reliance on ad hoc workarounds, particularly in remote or rapidly changing sites. While Pulsar is still in development, early commercial agreements suggest that market demand for resilient PNT is gathering pace.
Implications for Agriculture and Beyond
Although the announcement centres on construction and geomatics, agriculture remains a key beneficiary. Precision farming relies heavily on satellite positioning for automated steering, variable rate application and yield mapping. As farm machinery becomes increasingly autonomous, uptime and reliability become critical economic factors.
The global agriculture technology market has expanded rapidly, with positioning accuracy playing a central role in input optimisation and sustainability goals. By combining traditional GNSS with LEO signals, equipment manufacturers could improve performance in areas where tree cover or terrain interferes with standard reception. That in turn supports more efficient land use and reduced input waste, aligning with broader environmental objectives.
Beyond agriculture and construction, resilient PNT infrastructure supports logistics, mining, energy and emerging autonomous transport systems. The agreement therefore sits within a much wider transformation of navigation architecture. It is one piece of a puzzle that includes multi sensor fusion, terrestrial backup systems and cybersecurity measures designed to protect critical infrastructure.
Preparing for a Multi Orbit Future
The concept of multi orbit navigation is gaining traction among satellite engineers and infrastructure planners alike. Rather than relying solely on medium Earth orbit systems, future receivers may integrate signals from MEO, LEO and potentially geostationary satellites, combining strengths to mitigate weaknesses. Stronger signals from LEO could complement the global coverage of established GNSS networks.
For policymakers, this layered approach raises questions about standards, interoperability and spectrum management. For investors, it highlights a growing market in resilient navigation services. For contractors and asset owners, it represents an opportunity to de risk increasingly digital operations.
Topcon’s early adopter status does not guarantee immediate transformation. Pulsar’s constellation must still be deployed and integrated into commercial hardware. Yet the direction of travel is clear. High precision positioning is evolving from a single system dependency into a diversified, resilient infrastructure layer.
Building Infrastructure on Stronger Foundations
In the grand scheme of global infrastructure, satellite navigation might seem distant from asphalt and concrete. Yet without reliable positioning, modern construction workflows would quickly grind to a halt. Surveyors would revert to slower methods, machine control would lose precision and autonomous systems would stall.
By securing early access to a LEO based navigation layer, Topcon is acknowledging that the backbone of digital construction lies not only in software and sensors, but in the invisible signals connecting them. As LEO constellations mature, the construction and infrastructure ecosystem will likely adopt multi orbit PNT as standard practice rather than an optional upgrade.
The agreement with Xona therefore matters less for the headline and more for what it represents. It signals a strategic move towards resilient positioning in a world where infrastructure is smarter, more automated and less tolerant of disruption. In that context, centimetre level certainty is not just a technical ambition. It is becoming a prerequisite for building and managing the assets that underpin modern economies.
