Comtech Telecommunications Corp.’s Enterprise Technologies group has been awarded a $10.1 million multi-year contract from a major U.S. mobile network operator for its hosted, advanced location-services platform. The order includes development, deployment and support.
The Comtech platform leverages its Position Determining Engine to deliver precise location information of devices for applications such as turn-by-turn navigation, family finder and remote workforce management.
Secure and completely standards-based, the solution is hosted outside the operator’s network and ensures interoperability across all device providers, the company said.
“Network operators require their location services platform to be reliable, accurate, scalable and secure – and we have delivered on all fronts,” said Fred Kornberg, president and CEO of Comtech Telecommunications. “We are honored to be chosen by this customer and believe that this agreement again validates our industry-leading expertise in deploying advanced location services.”
Comtech Telecommunications designs, develops, produces and markets innovative products, systems and services for advanced communications solutions. The company sells products to a diverse customer base in the global commercial and government communications markets.
Sygic is partnering with innovative addressing system what3words.
According to Sygic, its business solutions and consumer apps are used by more than 200 million drivers and 2,000 fleets worldwide including Amazon. Sygic is also the first GPS app to partner with Ford.
The partnership will initially focus on Sygic’s business solutions for taxi, public transport, delivery and construction clients with the aim of a wider integration into Sygic’s commercial products. Clients will be able to turn on three-word addressing within their existing solutions in the coming months.
what3words is a location reference system that has divided the world into 57 trillion 3 x 3-meter squares, each with a unique three-word address. For example, “///droplet.outings.panel” will take you to the front door of Sygic’s headquarters in Bratislava.
“Sygic is committed to exploring the boundaries of navigation, a philosophy that has directly contributed to our enduring reputation as the leader in navigation,” said Martin Strigac, Sygic CEO. “what3words is the simplest way to talk about location and its rapid adoption across sectors means it is quickly becoming a standard. To get from A to B,, you need a map, navigation and to know precisely where A and B are. With what3words, we can now offer a world-class solution across all of these.”
“In-car navigation relies on an antiquated street and postal address system that is no longer fit-for-purpose,” said Chris Sheldrick, CEO and co-founder of what3words. “Poor addressing leaves drivers frustrated and means businesses waste millions every year. We are delighted to partner with Sygic to offer their business customers a more efficient solution to the last-mile challenge.”
Sygic featuring what3words will be showcased at the Post & Parcel Conference, being held March 20-22 in Berlin.
The new software release of Survey123 for the ArcGIS mobile application now has Spike, a laser measurement solution by ikeGPS.
The paired technology dramatically accelerates field data capture and asset inspection activities.
Spike allows users to measure hard-to-reach objects from a distance by taking a photo with their smartphone or tablet. Users can then capture real-time measurements from that image, including areas, elevations, distances between two points, and GPS/GNSS location.
Use of the Survey123 integration with Spike will be of interest to organizations that use mobile workflows for asset and facilities management, field asset inventories and inspections, damage assessments, and tactical operations including disaster response.
Using Spike with Survey123 relieves fieldworkers of the burden of carrying paper maps to find the object of interest and lugging multiple pieces of specialized, expensive measuring equipment. Instead, with a single mobile device, fieldworkers can locate the correct asset, record measurement data, and report accurate data directly back to the office.
“The new Spike integration with Survey123 is a game changer for many field data collection and inspection workflows where the dimension of physical objects needs to be captured. Spike and Survey123 provide quick return on investment,” said Ismael Chivite, Esri product management lead. “The simplicity of the solution enables it to be quickly deployed and with little training. Customers are very enthused about this low-cost solution that will streamline many of their critical workflows.”
The ability to capture accurate measurements in the field is particularly useful when working in areas that don’t lend themselves to hands-on or close-up measurement. Spike’s laser can be used in ranges from 6 to 650 feet, with the option to select units of measurement in inches, feet, meters or centimeters. With it, a single fieldworker is able to more quickly and safely accomplish what may otherwise have taken multiple field staff and costly equipment.
The Spike laser device mounts to smartphones and tablets and connects via Bluetooth with the mobile device’s camera.
Survey123 with Spike runs on Apple iOS and Google Android smartphones and tablets.
The cellular 5G standard targets latencies under 1 millisecond, data rates of up to 10 gigabits per second, extremely high network reliability and better accuracy in positioning. With location awareness becoming an essential feature in many new markets, positioning is considered as an integral part of the system design of upcoming 5G mobile networks.
The cellular industry is currently implementing Long-Term Evolution (LTE)-Advanced, which might be called “4G” mobile broadband. Simultaneously, the industry is preparing the next step, a fifth-generation (5G) system. It will process communication 10 times faster than 4G, according to experts. 5G rollout will be complete in many international metropolitan areas by 2020.
Positioning Performance for 5G NR and other technologies in different environments. (Image: Fraunhofer IIS)
Adaptive array antennas
In addition to the precise positioning it will afford, 5G shares another characteristic with GPS/GNSS: adaptive array antennas for digital beamforming (DBF). Adaptive arrays have many advantages for PNT, primarily in mitigation for multipath, jamming and spoofing.
Emerging applications of DBF in 5G involve dense networks of picocells, small cellular base stations that typically cover a small indoor area. Picocells extend coverage where outdoor signals do not reach well, and add network capacity in areas with very dense phone usage. 5G architectures will use adaptive array technology to achieve high data rates, spectrum reuse and communications robustness.
The implications for PNT are that 5G will require improved (relative) PNT to operate effectively, and picocells will be a source of PNT information in constrained environments.
5G involves massive directional communications via multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO), enabling high-bandwidth communications in fading (multipath) channels by using multiple antenna inputs to adapt to channels. It can do this without knowledge of user location, but it adds to the processing complexity. The directional capability can enable multiple users to be serviced in a picocell at different frequencies, while permitting spectrum re-use by nearby picocells through narrow beamwidth and the limited range of millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequencies.
The PNT implications of 5G architectures, according to Gary McGraw of Rockwell Collins, are that 5G picocells will be synergistic with PNT in challenged environments — naturally, indoor and dense urban. They will necessitate development of distributed, networked PNT processing and infrastructure.
Fraunhofer
The 5G positioning framework will integrate a multitude of sensors into a hybrid positioning scheme, according to the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS) in Germany. Fraunhofer IIS is currently prototyping low-latency and high-precision positioning systems for legacy LTE and future 5G New Radio (5G NR).
5G NR enables positioning by providing high bandwidths for precise timing, new frequency bands at mmWave, massive MIMO for accurate angle-of-arrival estimation and new architectural options that support positioning. Improved accuracy, robustness and latency can be achieved, according to the institute.
5G provides fast and reliable access to moving objects to achieve time-critical process control and optimization in industrial environments. Increased contextual awareness of goods, parts, machines and workers will enable new interaction and collaboration, the institute said.
Designed primarily for applications such as homeland security, Spectracom’s 8230AJ antenna provides protection in high-interference environments where additional resilience is needed, such as communications networks, financial systems and power grids, the company said.
Orolia, through its Spectracom brand, said the antenna, Model 8230AJ, is a drop-in replacement for the company’s Model 8230. Its conical antenna pattern rejects interference from the horizon and is simple to mount using the same pipe supports, without new cabling. All that is required is a new bracket.
“Model 8230AJ is a high gain (40 dB) GNSS outdoor antenna covering GPS L1, GLONASS L1, BeiDou B1, Galileo E1, and QZSS L1,” said David Sohn, product manager at Spectracom. “It uses a three-stage low noise amplifier, a mid-section SAW, and a tight pre-filter to protect against saturation by high level sub-harmonics and L-band signals. It is designed especially for harsh environments, is IP67 rated, and improves resilience and protects against jamming and spoofing.”
According to the company, the AJ antenna rejects signals for the lower elevation angles – where most interference comes from – and only receives signals from the higher elevation angles where the satellites are. While this reduces the number of satellites the receiver will see, for timing applications only a few satellites are needed. Moreover, with multi-constellation receivers, an increasing number of satellites are available.
With the increasing prevalence of jamming and spoofing, industries with critical infrastructure must take measures against interference. GPS and GNSS in general have well-known vulnerabilities and limitations that require protection and mitigation: the signals are easily disrupted by unintentional interference from radio transmitters, they are extremely weak, cannot penetrate buildings and can easily be jammed, and civilian signals are not encrypted and can easily be spoofed.
The new anti-jam outdoor antenna is appropriate for anyone who uses a time server, including Spectracom customers who own a SecureSync, VersaSync or Netclock, according to the company.
OriginGPS has chosen Gemalto’s Cinterion LTE-M wireless module to build its latest miniature OriginIoT system. Gemalto, a digital security company, designed the module for low-power applications requiring high security.
OriginIoT systems are generic cellular internet of things (IoT) systems that simplify IoT product development and slash development resources.
The systems include communication hardware, a GNSS module, embedded software and a novel interface to OriginIoT add-ons that accommodate multiple sensors and other peripheral devices.
OriginGPS signal-to-noise technology is leveraged to deliver superior GNSS and cellular matching, facilitating excellent performance in noisy environments, while the OriginSmart software enables cloud-based programming, relieving developers from writing embedded code.
The OriginIoT LTE-M system (ORG2101) has a 15 percent smaller footprint than the previous 2G and 3G models, and will be pre-certified with selected operators.
The low-power, wide-area Cinterion LTE-M module supports more than 10 frequency bands from a single hardware device, eliminating the need for multiple variants. The module protocols can run on the same hardware, thus providing a future-proof path for additional OriginIoT models.
“To save resources and stay competitive, such easy to develop low power solutions are essential for today’s IoT products,” said Andreas Haegele, senior vice president of IoT products for Gemalto. “We are glad to see that OriginGPS is expanding the market by offering accessible, affordable IoT products that are backed by Gemalto reliability and high quality,”
“We designed the OriginIoT LTE-M system to address market pains, and so our new offering includes low power consumption, superb GNSS/cellular matching, interfaces to multiple connectors, and software to enable developing from the convenience of the cloud,” said Robert van Tilburg, VP Global Sales and Business Development of OriginGPS. “These features serve to simplify and shorten IoT projects. Gemalto’s Cinterion IoT module enables OriginGPS products to retain their world’s smallest footprint, while enhancing their security and extending end-product life.”
OriginGPS will be showcasing its GNSS modules and OriginIoT systems at Embedded World, Feb. 27 – Mar. 1, in Hall 3, Booth 121.
u‑blox has rolled out the u-blox F9 technology platform, which was designed to deliver high-precision positioning solutions for mass market industrial and automotive applications.
The platform combines multi-band GNSS technology with dead-reckoning, high-precision algorithms, and compatibility with a variety of GNSS correction data services, to achieve precision down to the centimeter level.
u‑blox F9 paves the way for the next generation of high precision navigation, augmented reality, and unmanned vehicles, the company said.
The u-blox F9 platform will underpin the next wave of u‑blox positioning modules targeting mass market industrial and automotive applications. It uses GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands (L1/L2/L5) to correct positioning errors caused by the ionosphere and deliver fast time to first fix (Fast TTFF).
Its ability to receive signals from all GNSS constellations (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou) further improves performance by increasing the number of satellites visible at any given time. Stand-alone u‑blox F9 solutions robustly achieve meter-level accuracy.
To achieve centimeter-level accuracy, u‑blox F9 offers optional on-chip real-time knematic (RTK) technology. In addition to offering an open interface to legacy GNSS correction service providers, it supports the main GNSS correction services, bringing RTK high-precision positioning to the mass market.
“High precision is the next frontier in positioning for mass markets, with countless applications in need of a robust and scalable high precision positioning solution. u‑blox F9 provides the hardware and integrated software components to address these needs,” said Daniel Ammann, executive director of positioning product development at u-blox.
Optimized for low power consumption, the u‑blox F9 platform sets a high standard for security with built-in jamming and spoofing detection systems that protect against intentional and unintentional interference. Dead-reckoning technology based on inertial sensors extends high-precision performance to otherwise challenging urban environments.
Automotive applications of the technology include lane-level navigation for head-up displays and vehicular infotainment systems as well as for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, a prerequisite for highly automated and fully autonomous vehicles.
In the industrial realm, u‑blox F9 will enable mass adoption of commercial unmanned vehicle applications including drones and ground vehicles such as heavy trucks or robotic lawnmowers.
The u‑blox F9 platform’s technology will be showcased at Embedded World in Nuremberg, Germany from Feb. 27-March 1 at Booth #3-139. Product samples will be available later in the year.
This comment piqued my ears when heard over the coffee-break table at ION’s International Technical Meeting last month: “There is a great deal of mutual ignorance between the 5G and PNT communities. I think that the 5G people are pretty naive about PNT and the PNT community is missing an opportunity.”
So when news releases leading up to next week’s Mobile World Congress — several of them mentioning 5G in rosy terms, “catalyst for a better future” typical among these — started flooding my inbox this morning, it seemed an opportune time to investigate. Pardon my top-slice view; I’m not well-versed enough in the technology to discourse knowledgeably, but here’s quick round-up of salient points related to positioning in the fast-oncoming Next Step in cellular communications.
Regular contributing editor for Professional OEM and UAV Tony Murfin will return to this space next month, with a column previewing the massive AUVSI Xponential show in Denver, April 30–May 3. He’ll be there, too, covering the event!
The cellular 5G standard has been designed to target latencies under one millisecond, data rates of up to ten gigabits per second, extremely high network reliability, and better accuracy in positioning. With location awareness becoming an essential feature of many new markets, positioning is consequently considered as an integral part of the system design of upcoming 5G mobile networks.
Its feet firmly planted in both the present and the future, the cellular industry is currently in the midst of implementation of Long Term Evolution (LTE)-Advanced, an evolution of what might be called plain old LTE, and a “true 4G” mobile broadband. Simultaneously, the industry is preparing the next step, as “there is a vastly increased need for a new mobile communications system with even further enhanced capabilities, namely a fifth generation (5G) system.” 5G will process communication 10 times faster than 4G, according to experts. That’s enough to download a 3D movie in 30 seconds. It would take six minutes on 4G.
Pyeongchang
Alert techie viewers of the present ongoing Olympics in South Korea may have noted 5G in action there, in demos of such things as live-streaming virtual reality of bobsled and luge runs, putting the viewer in the breathtaking driver’s seat, and a test drive earlier this month from Seoul to Pyeongchang, a journey of several hours, without any human intervention whatsoever at the car’s controls. The demonstrations in Pyeongchang are laying down a backbone for what will be on show at the Tokyo Games in 2020, when 5G roll-out will be complete in many major metro areas.
As trumpets sound the fanfare for next week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, AT&T announced it will first roll out 5G to three locations: Dallas, Texas; Waco, Texas; and Atlanta, Georgia. The plans introduce the service to about a dozen U.S. markets by late this year. Qualcomm meanwhile is offering insight into its 5G chips.
What has all this got to do with GNSS? Well, aside from the aforementioned precise positioning via cellular to be afforded by 5G, the two technologies share one prominent technique: adaptive array antennas for digital beam-forming. Here I am indebted to Gary McGraw of Rockwell Collins for a primer on the subject, which he presented at the International Technical Symposium on Navigation and Timing (ITSNT) in November 2016.
Adaptive array technologies have many advantages for PNT: primarily, in mitigation for multipath and for jamming and spoofing mitigation. Adaptive antenna arrays with digital beam-forming (DBF) are becoming increasingly important for PNT in challenging signal environments. DBF combines multiple antenna inputs to generate gain in arrival direction of the desired satellite signal and to create spatial nulls in direction of jamming.
Emerging applications of DBF in 5G involve dense networks of picocells, small cellular base stations typically covering a small indoor area. Picocells extend coverage where outdoor signals do not reach well, and add network capacity in areas with very dense phone usage. In this context, 5G cellular architectures will use adaptive array technology to achieve high data rates, spectrum reuse and communications robustness.
The implications for PNT are that 5G system architectures will require improved (relative) PNT to operate effectively, and these 5G picocells will be a source of PNT information in constrained environments.
5G involves massive directional communications via multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), enabling high-bandwidth communications in fading (multipath) channels by using multiple antenna inputs to adapt to channel. It can do this without knowledge of user location, but it adds to the processing complexity. The directional capability can enable multiple users to be serviced in a picocell at different frequencies, while permitting spectrum re-use by nearby picocells through narrow beam-width and the limited range of millimeter-wave frequencies.
The PNT implications of 5G architectures, according to Gary McGraw of Rockwell, are, principally, that efficient operation of directional links will require some level of knowledge of user location with regard to picocells. Picocells will need to have the ability to do direction-of-arrival positioning and ranging in order to maintain connectivity with user nodes. This can be exploited by the user node for positioning and location-based services, particularly for indoor and dense urban environments. Meanwhile, the proliferation of adaptive array technology will drive down costs for other applications. Further, millimeter-wave transmit/receive modules will become commodity items, analogous to what cell phones have done for GPS chips.
McGraw’s Summary
5G picocells will be synergistic with PNT in challenged environments — naturally, indoor and dense urban. They will necessitate development of distributed, networked PNT processing and infrastructure. Availability of adaptive array technology will increase with deployment of 5G, and costs can be expected to drop dramatically. In addition to GNSS, adaptive array technologies can be employed to support short-range, relative PNT applications such as vehicle-to-vehicle communications and relative positioning.
Driving the Bus
The key driver for all this is that customers, the global We, expect the same quality of experience from Internet applications anytime, anywhere, and through any means of connectivity. The rapid proliferation of smartphones and other mobile devices that support a wide range of applications and services mean that image transfer and video-streaming, as well as more cloud-based services, such as cloud speech services, have become the new norm. Their requirement for massively more data than, say, simple texting is conveniently hidden from or forgotten by users. We want it. We want it now.
From a DOCOMO 5G White Paper: 5G Radio Access: Requirements, Concept and Technologies. NTT DOCOMO, INC., July 2014. At https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/binary/pdf/corporate/technology/whitepaper_5g/DOCOMO_5G_White_Paper.pdf.
Tomorrow, or perhaps the next day, everything will be connected by wireless to enable monitoring and collection of information and control of devices. Thus, remote monitoring and real-time control of nearly all electronic devices in machine-to-machine (M2M) services and Internet of things (IoT): connected cars, connected homes, moving robots and sensors. Such services will become more extensive and enriched through richer content delivered in real-time. Get set for the tactile Internet, augmented reality, and other brave new wonders.
Fraunhofer Enters the Fray
The 5G positioning framework will thereby integrate a multitude of sensors based on both, cellular signals and 3GPP independent techniques, into a hybrid positioning scheme, according to the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS) in Germany. Fraunhofer IIS is currently prototyping low-latency and high-precision positioning systems for legacy LTE and future 5G New Radio (NR). Two selected industrial IoT live demonstrations can be seen at next week’s Mobile World Congress 2018.
Respective positioning performance for 5G NR and other technologies in different environments. (Image: Fraunhofer IIS)
5G NR enables positioning performance by providing high bandwidths for precise timing, new frequency bands at mm-wave, massive MIMO for accurate angle-of-arrival estimation and new architectural options that support positioning. Improved levels of accuracy, robustness and latency, not possible today, can soon be achieved, according to Institute. 5G provides fast and reliable access to moving objects, to achieve time-critical process control and optimization in industrial environments not possible with today’s cellular technology. As requirements vary according to the specific use cases, 5G NR will provide a flexible air interface allowing for scalable bandwidths, data rates, latencies, and positioning accuracy levels.
High-Precision Positioning
With location awareness becoming an essential feature of many new markets, positioning is an integral part of the system design of 5G mobile networks. Increased contextual awareness of goods, parts, machines and workers will enable new interaction and collaboration.
High-precision positioning, in the view of Fraunhofer IIS. (Image: Fraunhofer IIS)
Fraunhofer IIS is working on novel approaches for sub-meter accuracy to enable tracking of mobile devices in indoor and urban areas where GNSS is not sufficiently accurate nor available. Its 5G positioning framework integrate several sensors. The key benefits of 5G in this regard are high accuracy, reliability, mobility and coverage; low latency and low power; and scalability.
The Institute offers the facilities of its Test and Application Center L.I.N.K. in Nuremberg, Germany. The test center includes a 3D positioning system capable, according to the organization, of reproducing, simulating and emulating all kinds of possible environments, using every common communication and positioning system commercially available.
The application, built using the TerraGo Magic platform and available today from BAE Systems, offers iOS, Android and web apps that make it easy to securely capture and share field reports from any location.
With GXP InForm, users can customize forms, maps and workflows so field applications can be quickly configured and instantly deployed to support any operation, in any location.
GXP InForm’s mobile features, including basemaps and forms, are available without network connectivity so personnel can get the job done in the most remote locations and demanding conditions. When a network connection is available, GXP InForm enhances situational awareness for all stakeholders with the bi-directional flow of information between headquarters and on-site personnel.
“We constantly look for ways to help our customers extend the value of GXP Xplorer across the enterprise and improve the quality of geospatial intelligence for all stakeholders,” said Damon Brady, director, product development and programs at BAE Systems. “With GXP InForm, mobile users get access to actionable imagery, while command units gain access to site reports, photos and videos that enhance the fidelity of their common operating picture.”
“We’re proud of this collaboration to build GXP InForm,” said Dave Basil, president and CEO at TerraGo. “It’s the result of a long-running and successful partnership with BAE Systems that goes back to 2008. The combination of GXP Xplorer, as an open data-management platform, and GXP InForm, as a customizable reporting application, provides great value to our customers that need to leverage vast geospatial data sources and tailor field workflows to all types of operations and missions.”
TerraGo is offering a webinar at 1 p.m. ET on Feb. 21, with a discussion and demonstration of GXP InForm. Register here.
Modules featuring Altair’s ALT1250 CAT-M1/NB1 chipset will be demonstrated at Mobile World Congress.
Altair Semiconductor, a provider of LTE chipsets, has selected Rohde & Schwarz as its partner for test equipment for its dual-mode CAT-M1/NB1 internet of things (IoT) ALT1250 chipset, as well as its next-generation IoT chipsets.
The ALT1250 is a highly integrated dual-mode CAT-M1/NB-IoT chipset with GNSS. Modules with ALT1250 inside are the world’s smallest, and may be as small as 100 millimeters square in area.
The ALT1250 includes GNSS location positioning, a wideband RF front-end supporting all commercial LTE bands within a single hardware design, a multi-layered and hardware-based security framework, an internal application subsystem and packaging that enables standard, low-cost PCB manufacturing.
The Rohde & Schwarz R&S CMW500 test platform offers the most validated CAT-M1/NB-IoT protocol conformance tests. It allows manufacturers and test houses to use a single instrument to verify that chipsets, modules and devices comply with GCF and PTCRB standards, and specific network operator requirements.
The test equipment will be used for protocol testing as well as RF, RRM performance and carrier tests.
Rohde & Schwarz is a global manufacturer of wireless communications and EMC test and measurement equipment and plans to develop new testing protocols for Altair’s next generations of cellular IoT chipsets.
“Our ALT1250 chipset is already forming the foundation for multiple current and emerging IoT applications,” said Ilan Reingold, VP of business development and marketing for Altair. “The choice of Rohde & Schwarz is part of our commitment to the highest quality of advanced validation and performance testing for our game-changing products.”
“This announcement confirms the commitment of Rohde & Schwarz to the wireless industry to provide innovative test tools and solutions that allow the testing and certification of cellular IoT devices,” said Anton Messmer, vice president, mobile radio testers, for Rohde & Schwarz. “We are pleased to have been selected by Altair and are looking forward to supporting them in the development of highly integrated chipsets in conformance with 3GPP Release-13 standards for CAT-M1 and NB-IoT, and beyond.”
Altair will be demonstrating partner modules based on ALT1250 at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, Feb. 26 to March 1 at Altair meeting rooms in Hall 2, Stands 2B2Ex and 2B4Ex.
Rohde & Schwarz will showcase CAT-M1/NB-IoT test solutions with the R&S CMW500 at MWC in hall 6, booth 6C40.
A new company, hoopo, has launched to supply an innovative, accurate geolocation solution for low-power wide area (LPWA) networks. The solution would improve precision for low-power Internet of Things (IoT) asset tracking.
Hoopo’s geolocation enables companies to locate their valuable assets without the significant cost or battery consumption that can be associated with GPS. hoopo’s IoT solutions help companies precisely track specific assets in areas such as shipping ports, airports, car dealer lots, cattle ranches and other asset-dense areas.
Hoopo has received $1.5 million in funding to further grow its business from a group of investors, including the initial investors in Mobileye; Israeli investor Zohar Gilon; and Ben Marcus, CEO of AirMap.
The need to understand and quantify asset location is quickly becoming a requirement for the enterprise and industrial IoT. However, the accuracy of today’s low-power geolocation isn’t precise enough to deliver on the full promise of the IoT.
LPWA networks are becoming the driving force behind smart city and other IoT applications because of their low-cost, low-power consumption, and high-coverage capabilities in rural and urban environments. The long battery life of LPWA devices allows businesses to deploy a maintenance-free device in the field for several years.
“Hoopo is addressing a real business need of companies around the world: cost-effective, yet precise, tracking of their valuable assets with longevity of battery life up to 10 years in the field,” said Ittay Hayut, CEO of hoopo. “LPWA checks off all of the boxes companies need in terms of cost and coverage, and hoopo’s solutions work alongside these LPWA networks to help businesses keep their assets safe, anytime and anywhere.”
Hoopo’s solutions are based on a patent-pending triangulation method that uses LPWA data transmissions to generate a precise location. The solutions suite includes low-cost LPWA gateways and devices, as well as a platform for management and real-time notifications. Companies can receive on-demand geolocation, establish geofences, receive movement alerts, and more, ensuring the protection of their valuable assets.
“Hoopo’s geolocation technology reveals new business verticals that were limited or impossible when using existing technologies because of their high-cost and significant power consumption,” said Menashe Terem, CEO at Tri-logical, a provider of tracking and management solutions.
“Early applications such as asset tracking are just the beginning of what advances in geolocation will enable,” said Eli Fogel, former CTO at Intel and hoopo investor. “Just as the advent of GPS launched a wealth of applications that no one ever thought of before, such as location-based advertising, there are future applications that this next generation of geolocation technology will enable. We’re excited to see what new applications emerge as customers embrace these new precision location capabilities.”
Hoopo is displaying at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Feb. 26-March 1 in Hall 5, Stand 5D81.
Fractus Antennas has launched a mobile antenna that enables coverage at 3G, 4G and 5G — the TRIO mXTEND chip antenna component.
The TRIO mXTEND has been specifically designed to provide flexibility to operate any required frequency band inside any wireless device.
It is capable of operating the main mobile communication standards, enabling worldwide coverage, as well as GNSS such as GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou (1561 MHz, 1575 MHz and 1598-1606 MHz) and the main short range wireless bands such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (2400-2500MHz and 4900-5875MHz) through the same antenna component.
The TRIO mXTEND is a modular, multiband and multi-port antenna component that enables top-quality worldwide coverage at any mobile communication standard. Its reconfigurable and off-the-shelf nature allows multiple architectures so the antenna component can be assembled into any mobile or IoT device.
It has been designed for providing mobile operation in three different frequency regions: 698-960 MHz, 1710-2690 MHz and 3400-3800 MHz. In addition, TRIO mXTEND is presented in an ultra slim component of 1 millimeter that enables easy placement into any device.
The Fractus Antennas team will be at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, either at the venue or in Fractus Antennas Headquarters, which is based in the city. Those interested are invited to arrange a meeting.
