With more than 70 percent of calls to emergency services coming from mobile phones, getting necessary help — fast — to the caller can be challenging if they don’t know where they are or can’t communicate for any number or reasons related to the emergency. Current emergency solutions rely on cell-tower location, with a location radius of up to several kilometers, or assisted GPS, subject to errors indoors and unable to establish a floor level in tall buildings.
The U.S Federal Communications Commission estimates “improved location accuracy which results in reducing wireless E911 response time by one minute can result in saving over 10,000 lives annually.”
Google has created and rolled out in two European countries the Emergency Location Service in Android, with other regions to follow. The feature, when supported by the caller’s network, sends location from phone to emergency services when an emergency number is dialed. The feature is solely for the use of emergency service providers, and the caller’s precise location is never seen or handled by phone apps, integrating Wi-Fi, GPS, and cell towers to produce a more reliable emergency location indoors and outdoors.
Emergency Location Service is supported by more than 99 percent of existing Android devices (version 2.3 out and upwards) through Google Play services. The service activates when supported by the mobile network operator or emergency infrastructure provider.
The new geographical location system can identify the source of a mobile phone emergency call to typically within 0.003 square kilometers (less than half the size of a football field) instead of an average of around 12 square kilometers.
According to a British telecomm communiqué, “We see 84 percent being less than 50 m radius, with 16 percent up to 9 meters, 27 percent between 10 and 19 meters’ radius and 41 percent with 20–49 meter radius.”
When an emergency call is made with an enabled Android smartphone, the phone automatically activates its location service and sends its position by text message to the 999 service. This usually takes less than 20 seconds. This text message is not visible on the handset and is not charged for.
The text is automatically matched to the voice call and compared to the network’s cell-based information to ensure it is valid. The location is then made available to the appropriate emergency service, supplementing the cell-based information.
Because Google has tweaked its core Android Play Services software, it no longer needs each handset manufacturer to modify their handsets. Instead they can all be enabled as part of Google’s regular updates to its Android mobile operating system. This means the service will reach more handsets much more quickly.
This year’s CTIA Super Mobility show, held Sept. 7-9 in Las Vegas, Nevada, shone the spotlight most brightly on 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT). The killer app use case for 5G is IoT and, symbiotically, IoT cannot be fully realized without the higher capacity of 5G.
IoT is the world of interconnected devices and includes smart cities, connected vehicles, smart homes, wearables, enterprise and healthcare solutions. The magnitude of growth forecast in connected devices is staggering; 23 billion in 2020 and increasing to 75 billion five years later, and will dwarf the number of smartphones, say analysts at Frost & Sullivan.
“Keep America Great Again” could have been the title of many talks with the patriotic rallying call to keep the United States at the forefront of wireless innovation. The U.S. has more than 99 percent of the population covered by LTE, more than any other country. We rule on apps, too, with 74 percent being based here. Whether this a good sign or not, Americans have more apps on their phones than anyone else —37 for each of us.
And we’ve led in the development of 3G and LTE. So the cry to arms from FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and carriers alike is that we can and will lead 5G. Verizon is getting ahead of the pack and recently announced it launched LTE Advanced technology to bring 50 percent faster peak wireless data speeds to more than 288 million people in 561 cities who are using one of Verizon’s 39 LTE Advanced equipped devices.
Keynote speakers at the conference swooned about the truly revolutionary capabilities of speed and improved latency 5G brings, forecast to be in full deployment in 2020. More high spectrum is needed and an FCC auction underway.
Obtaining the small cell sites needed for required antennas was on many minds. “There are just over 200,000 cell towers in the U.S., but there may be millions of small cell sites in the 5G future,” worried Wheeler. “If siting for a small cell takes as long and costs as much as siting for a cell tower, few communities will ever have the benefits of 5G.”
Dana Tardelli, Mobilitie, stands in front of a model of Churchill Downs, a DAS (distributed antenna system) installation. (Photo: Janice Partyka)
5G requires denser cell sites and every city has different rules and processes. The challenge, says Dana Tardelli of Mobilitie, is to get the cities to see the benefits. For instance, the city of Palo Alto, the epicenter of Silicon Valley, has poor cell service because the citizens and town resist having antennas installed. Reportedly, Steve Jobs had to go out in his yard to make a call. The future is smaller cells with distributed antennas, but unlimited data plans are on their way back and will create a large infrastructure load.
For Telit and other enablers of IoT, the sweet spot of the market is enterprise, an industry sector that is making money and can easily quantify savings from technology investments. “In five years, half of the show will be IoT, and it isn’t about technology, but about things that will be connected,” predicted Jack Indekeu of Telit. “There is also a strong market for devices that allow people to connect socially around issues of personal health and fitness.” Telit was highlighting its bundled platform, services and solutions, including data plans.
Jack Indekeu of Telit gives a presentation at the Telit booth. (Photo: Janice Partyka)
Comtech Telecommunications announced the availability of Location Studio, a developer’s platform to build cloud-based embedded and hybrid applications using location-based tools. Location Studio connects assets using AGPS and sensor positioning for location and integrates with a host of geolocation applications, taking advantage of the previous acquisition of Networks in Motion capabilities for mapping, messaging and navigation.
“There is great advantage of our approach over Google or Apple in which free access is bartered for data,” said Sameer Vuyyuru of Comtech. “Our approach eases clients’ concerns about security of data.” Last year, TeleCommunication Systems (TCS) was acquired by Comtech. Perhaps in the future, Comtech’s satellite products will be added to TCS’ public safety and LBS offerings.
CalAmp announced the availability of the MDT-7P, an Android-based tablet suited to deliver and support value-added applications for industries such as long-haul trucking, fleet management, asset delivery and mobile workforce management. The MDT-7P leverages CalAmp’s management and maintenance system, PULS, for autonomous over-the-air installation of applications and firmware directly to the tablet while in service.
U-blox announced plans to launch modules supporting Category M1 LTE networks. The first SARA R4 module developed by u-blox will be available later this year and targets mobile network operators in the U.S. market. With the recently launched SARA N2, a cellular NB IoT module, the new LTE Cat M1 complements u-blox’s product offering for the IoT.
Qualcomm Technologies and Verizon announced Verizon will pre-integrate its ThingSpace IoT platform-as-a-service within Qualcomm Technologies’ MDM9206 Category M LTE modem. The initiative also utilizes Verizon’s 4G LTE network as the gateway for simplifying the process of building, deploying and managing IoT applications customized for a wide-range of use cases.
The Teradata team at the Ford Developers Hackathon. (Photo: Janice Partyka)
Quite different from years ago when CTIA was chock full of carmakers, Ford was the only participant, and hosted the Ford Developer Hackathon on the exhibit floor. The event presented a two-way street for developers to learn how to use car data to build apps, and for Ford to see what interests the developer community. SmartDeviceLink is an open-source platform that enables creation of brought-in applications that appear integrated onto a car’s head unit.
I spoke to a team from Teradata who was working on creating an app that would compare fuel usage on the same route over time. For instance, I could compare my gas usage over each day of my commute and also compete against my co-workers who drive the same route. This team stayed until 3 a.m. at the convention center and were there the following morning to resume work. If they win the hackathon competition, team Teradata will take home all-expenses-paid trips to CES or share a Mustang car lease.
The Car Connectivity Consortium with its MirrorLink platform has a different approach to in-vehicle apps. The Ford platform requires that developers use templates for the interface. With MirrorLink, developers encounter more complexity but added freedom as they create the user interface. Alan Ewing of the Car Connectivity Consortium provided perspective on the industry’s current focus.
“We are polishing technology and working to refine the user experience,” Ewing said. “There will be wireless connectivity with no cabling and in the future, we may be able to distinguish among the phones in the car as to which belongs to driver.” He reports there is quite a bit of interest in in-vehicle streaming video.
Iridium showed an early sample of Edge, an M2M/IoT rugged transceiver scheduled to launch later this year. The Edge can be added onto existing products to enable satellite communications and used for tracking mobile or fixed assets. Many will use it alongside terrestrial communication. “IoT has opened up M2M markets and created standards and integration,” reported Tim Last of Iridium. ”We are also looking at consumer products, working with Garmin, wearables and handheld devices.”
InterDrone, an international drone show concurrently held in Las Vegas and partnered with CTIA, featured both low and high-end commercial products. The low-end (less than $1,200) serves advanced hobbyist and some professional uses.
Janice in KITT, the talking car from “Knight Rider”. (Photo: Janice Partyka)
“The high-end commercial markets include precision agriculture, construction and infrastructure inspection, mining, surveying and mapping, and top-shelf drone cinematography,” said Ted Bahr of BZ Media and InterDrone. “This segment gets all of the attention of U.S. drone makers, and the innovation and competition is intense.”
The CTIA show has changed through the years in an attempt to recapture its former luster and has come to an end. Most recently, CTIA consolidated its two shows per year into one. Next year, look for a replacement event, GSMA Mobile World Congress Americas, in partnership with CTIA, which will debut in San Francisco Sept. 12-14, 2017. The CTIA show is gone, but I’ll see you next September in San Francisco.
CalAmp — a provider of wireless products, services and solutions — has launched the MDT-7P Android-based tablet designed to integrate with CalAmp’s family of aftermarket telematics devices.
It features wired, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, a rugged 7-inch touchscreen display, and is suited to deliver and support applications for industries such as long-haul trucking, fleet management, asset delivery and mobile workforce management.
“The MDT-7P is designed at its core to support the development and deployment of telematics applications for the mobile workforce,” said Justin Schmid, senior vice president and general manager of the Telematics Systems business at CalAmp. “Seamlessly integrated with CalAmp’s leading telematics devices, the MDT-7P provides a powerful platform to support, monitor and maintain applications such as those designed to support compliance mandates for hours of service, rests, vehicle inspections and other state and federal regulations.”
The MDT-7P leverages CalAmp’s management and maintenance system, PULS (Provisioning/Programming, Update and Logistical System) for autonomous over-the-air installation of applications and firmware directly to the tablet from trusted sources such as CalAmp’s Appstore while in service.
In addition, the CalAmp Mobile Framework (CMF) software provides the interface to CalAmp’s programmable event generator (PEG). PEG enables the MDT-7P to communicate with an installed telematics device to continuously monitor the operating environment and respond instantly to pre-defined and configurable threshold conditions such as time, date, motion, location, geo-zone crossings and other parameters.
The MDT-7P offers a comprehensive and versatile set of features and capabilities including:
Easy-to-use Android Lollipop OS for application development
Support for CalAmp’s Appstore providing a secure environment to manage and distribute applications content and services
High quality built-in front and rear facing cameras to support streaming video applications
Integrated GPS receiver for high precision mapping, navigation, dispatch and routing
Secure 802.11 b/g/n protocols for persistent Wi-Fi connectivity
Taoglas, a provider of IoT (Internet of Things) and M2M (Machine to Machine) antenna solutions, has launched a new series of high-performance LTE + GNSS or Wi-Fi antennas. The announcement was made at CTIA Super Mobility, held Sept. 7-9 in Las Vegas.
The Taoglas Guardian X 11-in-1 antenna.
The Guardian series includes 4, 5, 6 and even 11-in-1 antenna options for 4G LTE cellular applications that also require GNSS or Wi-Fi or satellite options.
“Drilling holes in assets and doing long coaxial cable runs is a thing of the past for many IoT applications, particularly in the transportation industry,” said Dermot O’Shea, joint CEO at Taoglas. “Most vehicles and assets are no longer made from metal, but of a carbon fiber or composite material. This means the antenna does not need to be outside the asset but can be mounted internally.”
One example is in the trucking industry, where antennas are mounted under the roof and above the headliner, eliminating the need for holes to be drilled. “This saves huge amounts of time and cost for the installation as well as increasing device performance due to the cable runs being shorter,” O’Shea said. “It also decreases the likelihood of antenna damage due to impact or vandalism.”
The Guardian series antennas are delivered in a gloss-finished, compact square-shaped enclosure (146 x 134 x 20 mm). In the series are these options:
MA931 – 6 in 1 (2 x Cellular, 3 x Wi-Fi, 1 x GNSS)
MA930 – 6 in 1 (2 x Cellular, 2 x Wi-Fi, 1 x GNSS, 1 x Satellite)
MA950 – 5 in 1 (2 x Cellular, 2 x Wi-Fi, 1 x GNSS)
MA961 – 4 in 1 (2 x Cellular, 2 x Wi-Fi)
Also, an extension to the line is the Guardian X series, with the first product being MA4000, an 11-in-1 antenna (six cellular, four Wi-Fi, one GNSS).
The Guardian X dimensions are 540 x 183.1 x 35.4 millimeters. Despite its small size, the MA4000 antenna eliminates the requirement for multiple holes to be drilled in a valuable asset. The enclosure material is flame retardant, as is the CFD-200-FR low-loss cable. This means the antenna is compliant for airline, bus and rail passenger applications and complies with UNECE regulation R 118.
u‑blox, a global leader in wireless and positioning modules and chips, today announced plans to launch modules supporting Category M1 (Cat M1) LTE networks, which will allow a larger number of devices to connect to the Internet of Things (IoT).
The first SARA‑R4 module developed by u‑blox will be available in Q4 2016 targeting mobile network operators in the United States market. With the recently launched SARA‑N2, the world’s first cellular NB‑IoT module, the new LTE Cat M1 complements u‑blox’s extensive product offering for the IoT.
Along with NB‑IoT, LTE Cat M1 is part of the new 3GPP Release 13 standard supporting low power wide area (LPWA) technologies in the licensed spectrum and is designed for IoT applications with low to medium data throughput rates, as well as devices that require long battery lifetimes.
Additionally, M1’s vehicular handover capability delivers the technology necessary to support vehicle, asset and people tracking. It also supports lower latency applications and a data rate of 375 kbps in half duplex mode and 1 mbps in full duplex mode.
The market focus for the LTE Cat M1 technology is extensive and will cover applications in many areas, such as the smart home, security systems, industrial monitoring and control, asset tracking, telematics, connected health, smart metering, smart cities, and wearables.
“u‑blox is a global leader in developing cellular modules designed for IoT applications,“ said Moti Tabulo, product manager of cellular at u‑blox. “We are excited to add LTE Cat M1 modules to our LPWA product portfolio. We will now be able to offer our customers both LTE Cat M1 and NB‑IoT modules.”
The SARA‑R4 modules follow u‑blox’s “nested design” philosophy to maintain form factor and software continuity. This allows customers to easily upgrade their products with each new generation of u‑blox wireless modules without having to change their PCB designs. Such easy migration maximizes investment return, simplifies logistics and drastically reduces time‑to‑market, u-blox said.
The first module out of the SARA‑R4 series will be available in Q4 2016.
Emergency preparedness company McMurdo has launched a new family of Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) that will accelerate the search-and-rescue process by combining multiple frequencies — including GNSS — into a single EPIRB product.
The McMurdo SmartFind and Kannad SafePro EPIRBs are distress beacons that can support each of the four frequencies used in the search-and-rescue process: GNSS for location positioning, 406 MHz and 121.5 MHz for beacon transmission, and Automatic Identification System (AIS) for localized connectivity.
The multiple-frequency capability will ensure faster detection, superior positioning accuracy, greater signal reliability and, ultimately, accelerated rescue of people or vessels in distress, the company said.
Expanded satellite connectivity. McMurdo SmartFind and Kannad SafePro EPIRBs have a multiple GNSS satellite constellation receiver supporting Galileo (once the constellation is fully operational), GPS and GLONASS — from a single beacon. Advanced GNSS data processing results in faster detection of positioning coordinates and enhances the accuracy of the emergency location.
Most of today’s EPIRBs use 406 MHz and 121.5 MHz frequencies via satellite communication to provide location and positioning data to global search and rescue personnel who may be several hundred miles away.
The additional AIS channels on the new McMurdo SmartFind G8 AIS and Kannad SafePro AIS EPIRBs will send position signal information to standard AIS electronic equipment on nearby vessels for complementary, local tracking and rescue capabilities. This global and local rescue capability will result in quicker signal detection and faster response times.
The McMurdo SmartFind and Kannad SafePro EPIRBs are part of McMurdo’s comprehensive search and rescue ecosystem. As the world’s provider of an end-to-end search and rescue ecosystem — including distress beacons, satellite ground stations, mission control and rescue coordination systems, and rescue response products — McMurdo builds, integrates and tests products as part of a live search and rescue system. This ensures greater cohesion between distress signal transmission and reception so that beacon owners can feel confident that their signals will get to search and rescue authorities quickly.
MEOSAR compatibility. The McMurdo SmartFind and Kannad SafePro EPIRBs are designed to be fully compatible with MEOSAR, the next generation of the Cospas-Sarsat international search-and-rescue satellite system that has helped to save over 40,000 lives since 1982. MEOSAR will increase the speed and accuracy of beacon signal detection and location with new MEOSAR ground network infrastructure and additional MEOSAR satellites.
When fully deployed, a MEOSAR-compatible beacon can be located with an accuracy of location within 100 meters (328 feet), 95 percent of the time — and within five minutes of distress signal activation, all without reliance on GNSS.
McMurdo manufactures approximately 50 percent of the world’s MEOSAR infrastructure and is also leading the design of additional MEOSAR-capable beacons under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program’s HELIOS project.
“McMurdo’s new EPIRB announcement is a major step towards achieving a unified search-and-rescue vision,” said Bruce Reid, CEO of the International Maritime Rescue Federation. “The convergence of products and systems whether AIS and 406 MHz or maritime domain awareness and search and rescue, respectively, will require a comprehensive understanding of the entire search and rescue ecosystem. I look forward to seeing more McMurdo solutions and innovations that will shape the search and rescue industry for years to come.”
The McMurdo SmartFind and Kannad SafePro distress beacons support beacon transmission, GNSS for location positioning, and AIS for localized connectivity.
GPS World is reporting live from CTIA Super Mobility 2016, which is being held Sept. 7-9 in Las Vegas, Nevada. CTIA’s flagship event is a convergence of everything wireless for professionals who work in the mobile technology industry, including leaders in wireless, indoor location, connected car and Internet of Things (IoT), among many others.
GPS World Senior Digital Editor Joelle Harms and Wireless editor Janice Partyka will be posting news, videos and photos this week on GPSWorld.com, Facebook and Twitter @GPSWorld.
This year’s highlights include keynote addresses from senior executives at AT&T, GSMA, Nokia, Qualcomm, Verizon, The Chernin Group, TIME Inc. and FCC. Mark Cuban, billionaire investor and owner of Dallas Mavericks, and John Legend, Academy Award and Grammy-winning musician, also will share insights on everything wireless, including next-gen 5G technology, the IoT and how mobile impacts the media, music and entertainment industries.
Taoglas, provider of IoT and M2M antenna solutions, has launched the Engager Logarithmic Periodic Dipole Antenna (LPDA) series in booth No. 4849 at CTIA Super Mobility 2016.
The wide-band directional antenna series offers high gain at multiple frequencies, including all cellular 2G/3G and 4G LTE bands globally for all carriers and networks, the company says in a news release.
In areas of low signal strength, the higher gain can help a device get connectivity when a standard Omni directional antenna would not.
“These wonderful looking Engager’s eliminate the need for Yagi’s,” Dermot O’Shea, Taoglas joint CEO, says. “The Yagi’s are also directional and high gain but are limited to a narrow bandwidth or single frequency. That means if you installed an antenna for a base station belonging to a certain carrier at a certain time, that frequency or base station equipment can be changed over time, meaning you have to go back on site and change the antenna. That scenario can happen over and over again but with the Engager series it’s a one time installation and future proofs the site’s connectivity for many years.”
The Engager series launches at CTIA Super Mobility 2016, which is being held Sept. 6-9 in Las Vegas, Nevada, with four variants, and more planned:
All are available in wall or pole mount options. The wall mount option consists of a two-part bracket, allowing it to be tilted and rotated and pointed in the required direction of the base station. The pole-mount bracket is delivered with u-bolts and clamps and, when secured on the pole, also allows a 30-degree tilt above or below horizontal.
“Taoglas engineering continue to not only innovate but exhibit the never give up attitude. To achieve such wide bandwidths, while maintaining high performance, makes us all very proud of the Engager series,” O’Shea says.
Cargo that comes into the Rotterdam, The Netherlands, shipping port could very well be guided by a new GPS system.
APM Terminals Rotterdam operates at the important European gateway with a fleet of more than 70 straddle carriers. The straddle carriers have been equipped with GPS Lite, made by U.K.-based International Terminal Solutions (ITS).
GPS Lite tracks the straddle carriers.(Photo: ITS)
GPS Lite, the latest version of ITS’s G-POS GPS tracking system, provides real-time visibility so that valuable resources aren’t wasted hunting for or handling misplaced containers.
Testing. To ensure the new system was rolled out smoothly and provided the required reliability and accuracy, extensive tests were done on two straddle carriers.
Following the success of these tests, the system was rolled out in phases to the rest of the fleet.
APM Terminals Rotterdam uses the COSMOS Terminal Operating System. For COSMOS users, G-POS connects to the radio data terminal on each straddle carrier in the same way as the legacy system it replaced.
It is fully compliant with COSMOS interface specifications and uses the same cable connections to make the system swap compatible.
Rotterdam port: A straddle carrier is in the foreground. (Photo: APM Terminals Rotterdam)
ITS can provide a range of GPS accuracy options wih G-POS, depending on customer needs. Accuracy can range from 2 centimeters up to 0.7 meters, with various types of differential GPS correction methods used.
G-POS provides automated, real-time, error-free data, enabling a live accurate database to improve storage and retrieval decisions, and to optimize equipment use.
Qualcomm Technologies Inc. and AT&T will test unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) on commercial 4G LTE networks.
The trials will analyze how UAS can operate safely and more securely on commercial 4G LTE and networks of the future, including 5G. The research will look at elements that would impact future drone operations.
CTIA Super Mobility 2016 attendees can catch a video demonstration at Qualcomm’s booth in the 5G Zone. Matt Grob will showcase the benefits of LTE-based drone operation during his keynote at 9 a.m. PDT on Sept. 8.
The team will look at coverage, signal strength and mobility across network cells and how they function in flight. The goal of the trials and ongoing research is to help enable future drone operations, such as beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), as regulations evolve to permit them.
The trials will begin later this month at Qualcomm Technologies’ San Diego Campus, with testing to take place at its FAA-authorized UAS Flight Center and test environment. The center contains real-world conditions including commercial, residential, uninhabited areas and FAA controlled airspace. The facility permits testing of the use of commercial cellular networks for drones without affecting AT&T’s everyday network operations.
In April, Qualcomm Technologies’ San Diego Campus received an FAA certificate of authorization to perform outdoor testing of drones.
The ability to fly beyond an operator’s visual range could enable successful delivery, remote inspection and exploration. Wireless technology can bring many advantages to drones such as ubiquitous coverage, high-speed mobile support, robust security, high reliability and quality of service (QoS), Qualcomm said in a press release.
“The trial with a carrier with the reach and technology of AT&T is a significant step in the development of connectivity technologies for small unmanned aircraft systems (SUAS), including optimization of LTE networks and advancement of 5G technology for drones,” said Matt Grob, executive vice president and chief technology officer, Qualcomm Technologies. “Not only do we aim to analyze wide-scalable LTE optimization for safe, legal commercial SUAS use cases with beyond line-of-sight connectivity, but the results can help inform positive developments in drone regulations and 5G specifications as they pertain to wide-scale deployment of numerous drone use cases.”
“Many of the anticipated benefits of drones, including delivery, inspections and search and rescue will require a highly secure and reliable connection,” said Chris Penrose, senior vice president, IoT Solutions, AT&T. “With a focus on both regulatory and commercial needs, LTE connectivity has the potential to deliver optimal flight plans, transmit flight clearances, track drone location and adjust flight routes in near real-time. Solving for the connectivity challenges of complex flight operations is an essential first step to enabling how drones will work in the future.”
The UAS trials will be based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon Flight drone development platform, which is designed to offer superior control and navigation capabilities. Already in use in some commercially available drones, the platform offers high fidelity sensor processing, precise localization, autonomous visual navigation and 4K videography all in an integrated, light-weight model suitable for consumers and enterprises.
Comtech Telecommunications Corp. has launched Location Studio, a versatile service platform for mobile operators, application developers and enterprises to build or enhance cloud-based, embedded and hybrid applications using a modular set of location-based services (LBS) tools.
Location Studio incorporates multiple technology suites that provide a broad range of functionality, allowing developers to create location enabled applications with contextual awareness, including:
GeoSuite for integration of maps, search, geocoding, routing and navigation. Also includes geofencing for triggering alerts when devices enter or exit a specified space, and Comtech’s Trusted Location solution for verifying and validating a device’s location to prevent fraudulent activity.
PositioningSuite, a powerful engine that can locate and track assets, such as IoT devices, seamlessly switching between inside and outside environments while minimizing device power consumption using a proprietary geofence algorithm that eliminates the need for “always on” GPS.
MessagingSuite, a comprehensive, carrier-grade messaging platform that supports virtually all messaging protocols and is capable of supporting personalized high-volume messaging applications for alerts and notifications, such as product and/or services information, emergency alerts, and critical internal communication.
AnalyticsSuite, a web-based portal for reviewing and exploring user, device or application data.
“Location Studio encompasses two decades of location-based services experience that can be easily configured into consumer, industrial or workforce-ready applications and services while minimizing deployment timelines, costs, and resource requirements,” said Jay Whitehurst, president of Enterprise Technologies, Comtech Telecommunications Corp. and member of CTIA’s Board of Directors. “We are excited to see how this new platform influences and enables the use and impact of location intelligence across a number of different markets.”
Location Studio supports both hosted and in-network LBS solutions and provides API’s that can be tailored to meet the specific needs of various vertical market customers, including mobile network operators, automotive OEMs, fleet and logistic organizations, insurance and financial organizations, as well as manufacturers. As part of these solution offerings, Comtech provides project management, coordination and testing support.
Editor’s Note: Comtech placed third in the IoT category for 10th annual CTIA Emerging Technology Award at CTIA Super Mobility 2016. According to the wireless association, the winners represent the latest innovation in mobile products and services that have the power to transform networks, businesses, smart cities and connected consumers. Newell Thompson, vice president, Category Marketing, Technology & Telecommunications, Time Inc. presented the winners at the live awards ceremony at the Sands Expo.
“CTIA Emerging Technology Award winners represent the best mobile products, apps and services of the year that have the potential to influence and benefit businesses and consumers,” said CTIA Show Director and Conventions AVP Heather Lee. “Marking the tenth year of this distinguished awards program, CTIA is honored to once again recognize companies that are raising the bar of excellence for mobile innovation.”
A panel of 35 industry experts and analysts judged submissions across 15 award categories to determine the finalists and winners. The “Crowd Favorite” was determined by a popular vote of CTIA Super Mobility 2016 attendees and online visitors.
Rohde & Schwarz is highlighting its 5G test solutions in booth No. 5128 at CTIA Super Mobility 2016, which is being held Sept. 6-9 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company’s test and measurement solutions are helping researchers define and characterize 5G before commercialization.
Rohde & Schwarz has enhanced its proven test solution platforms to include advanced capabilities that are facilitating the research, development and standardization of 5G, the company says in a news release. The fifth generation of mobile radio will open up new frequency bands for commercial wireless communications in the microwave and millimeter wave ranges to increase date rates on a massive scale. To implement 5G, new areas are being investigated, including Massive MIMO, millimeter wave communications and complex channel models.
“The standards that will define 5G have yet to be outlined. However, it is clear that new technologies and new frequency bands will be required to meet the needs of enhanced mobile broadband,” Lifang Kirchgessner, vice president, wireless communications market segment, says in the news release. “Currently, many researchers are focused on developing new antenna technologies for Massive MIMO systems, studying channel characteristics and characterizing components up to millimeter wave, all of which will require high performance and flexible test and measurement solutions to advance 5G technologies. Rohde & Schwarz is pleased to offer industry-leading 5G test solutions that are helping to shape and standardize the next generation of wireless communications.”
To meet the more than a thousand improvements in capacity, and to achieve ever higher data rates, Massive MIMO antenna systems that use hundreds of antenna elements are being planned for 5G, the company says. In these systems, the radio is combined with the antenna resulting in few or no RF test ports, which requires over-the-air (OTA) measurements to characterize the systems.
To expedite the tests, Rohde & Schwarz has developed a flexible near field measurement technique that allows continuous sampling on arbitrary grids, decreasing the measurement time in the near field by a factor of 40 compared to stepped measurements, according to the company. Rohde & Schwarz offers bench top and production far field measurement systems for devices being investigated between 28 gigahertz and 90 gigahertz.
The R&S ZNBT 24-port vector network analyzer is being used to measure the mutual coupling between antenna elements, which reduces overall system capacity so that 5G antenna engineers can determine the optimal distance between antenna elements in Massive MIMO systems. This solution can be extended up to 288 ports using the R&S ZN-Z84 switch matrix.
Fundamental to 5G research today, frequencies from RF through millimeter wave are required. For RF through millimeter wave signal analysis and generation, the R&S FSW signal and spectrum analyzer, R&S SMW200A vector signal generator, are suitable to deliver the performance and flexibility required in an R&D environment. The R&S SMW200A is the only microwave signal generator on the market to combine a baseband generator and RF generator with fading, AWGN, Massive MIMO and mm-wave MIMO capabilities in a single box, according to R&S. A new option for the R&S FSW, the R&S®FSW-B2000, extends the analysis bandwidth to 2 gigahertz.
Rohde & Schwarz also has developed the industry’s first commercial test solution for 5G channel sounding. The R&S TS-5GCS test setup combines the new R&S TS-5GCS channel sounding software with the R&S®FSW signal and spectrum analyzer and R&S SMW200A vector signal generator. This setup supports development of applications requiring complex multichannel scenarios up to 40 gigahertz, allowing users to conveniently measure channels in the new 5G frequency bands in the centimeter and millimeter ranges.
