GPS Malfunction Paralyzes Nanjing: Cabs, Deliveries, and Location Services Come to a Halt

In a rare and disruptive incident, GPS services in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing suddenly went offline, leaving residents unable to book cabs or track locations. The sudden outage caused widespread confusion and disruption, affecting navigation, food delivery, and even drone operations.

GPS Services Go Dark
Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province with a population of nearly 10 million, experienced a six-hour blackout of GPS and the BeiDou Satellite Navigation System on the evening of December 17, 2025. From 4 PM to 10 PM, residents found themselves unable to determine their locations, book transportation, or access navigation-based services. The disruption made daily life exceptionally challenging, effectively bringing parts of the city to a standstill.

What Caused the Disruption?
According to a report by Interesting Engineering, the Nanjing Satellite Application Industry Association conducted an investigation and confirmed that the problem was not due to mobile network issues. Instead, the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals were heavily jammed or interfered with. This interference specifically targeted the frequency bands used by public GPS and BeiDou systems, preventing devices from accurately receiving satellite signals. Even offline map apps failed, as satellite signals are essential for precise location tracking.

Who or What Is Responsible?
Authorities did not disclose who was behind the interference or why it occurred. However, they hinted that the disruption could have been related to security measures for a large event in the city, falling under standard signal control protocols. Once the event concluded, satellite signals gradually returned to normal, and all services resumed, restoring normalcy to Nanjing.

What Is BeiDou?
BeiDou is China’s indigenous satellite navigation system, officially called the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS). Similar to the U.S. GPS, it provides accurate positioning, navigation, and timing worldwide. Developed in three phases, BeiDou initially served China, then the Asia-Pacific region, and finally became globally available with the completion of BeiDou-3 in 2020.

BeiDou’s Satellite Network
The system consists of approximately 45 satellites, working alongside GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo systems. BeiDou plays a critical role in China’s security and development while remaining accessible for global users.