Berg Insight, the leading IoT market research provider, today released a new market study covering the GNSS-based road pricing market.

GNSS-based road pricing refers to the charging of road users using global navigation satellite system (GNSS) sensors inside vehicles. The road pricing umbrella term typically covers various types of schemes such as electronic toll collection (ETC) and road user charging (RUC) as well as vignettes and congestion charging. More than a dozen countries around the world have GNSS-based RUC/ETC systems that are in operation or about to be launched in the relative near-term. The vast majority of these can so far be found in Europe but there are also programs in operation in North America and Asia-Pacific. Berg Insight estimates that the installed base of GNSS-based on-board units deployed for road user charging reached more than 7.4 million units worldwide in 2023. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.3 percent, the installed base is forecasted to reach almost 10.6 million units in 2028.

Berg Insight ranks Russia, Germany and Poland as the largest markets in terms of the number of GNSS-equipped vehicles for road user charging purposes.

“The Russian implementation is the largest in the world with more than 1 million on-board units in use for the Platon ETC system”, said Rickard Andersson, Principal Analyst, Berg Insight.

He adds that Germany and Poland are the runners-up with the Lkw-Maut and e-TOLL systems respectively.

“Other countries with more than half a million on-board units in use include Belgium with the Kilometer Charge, Hungary’s HU-GO and the Czech Republic’s CzechToll satellite toll system”, continued Mr. Andersson.

Bulgaria and Slovakia also have several hundred thousand on-board units deployed. The remaining top-10 markets are New Zealand and Switzerland with the eRUC and LSVA implementations respectively.

“The fragmented US market has a few operational RUC programs on state level and the country is just outside of the global top-10 so far”, concluded Mr. Andersson.

The post The installed base of GNSS-based on-board units deployed for road user charging exceeds 7 million units worldwide appeared first on IoT Business News.

Quectel Wireless Solutions, a global IoT solutions provider, has launched three new combo antennas to help IoT solution designers and developers optimize device performance.

• YEMN016AA – a very low profile 5-in-1, 5G and GNSS screw mount antenna
• YEMN017AA – a 5-in-1 puck antenna that offers multiple mounting options
• YEMA013AA – a 9-in-1 adhesive mount flat, rectangular combo antenna.

Each new combo antenna has been designed to offer maximized choice and performance for IoT deployments so customers can ensure their devices can access the connectivity they need across a variety of wireless technologies.

“We’re delighted to launch the Quectel YEMN016AA, YEMN017AA and the YEMA013AA to bring new functionality and performance to the combo antenna market,” said Colin Newman, Director of Antenna Business Development, Quectel Wireless Solutions.

“To accelerate time-to-market and simplify product design, organizations need high-performance, easy, versatile mounting antenna boxes that provide maximized choice in terms of connectivity access and design flexibility. These new products offer this with the additional benefits of being backed by Quectel’s unparalleled support in design, customization, testing and manufacturing.”

The YEMN016AA 5G screw mount low profile antenna box measures 204 x 86.6 x 31mm, making it ideal for space constrained situations in which a low-profile antenna is needed. The combo antenna has been optimized for 5G and 4G networks with 4 x 4 5G/4G MIMO and GNSS L1 and L5, offering high-performance cellular and satellite capabilities.

The ultra-wide-band 5G/4G antenna provides broad coverage from 600-6,000MHz and is backward-compatible to support 3G and 2G networks at Cat-M and NB-IoT. The antenna is designed to work with various GND plane sizes or in free space for ease of integration with connection options from 300-5000mm, terminated with SMA connectors.

This screw mount omnidirectional antenna is easy to install with maximum durability with its IP69 KIBILAC® ASA enclosure featuring IK09 impact protection. The antenna is compatible with Quectel’s RM520x Series modules. Quectel also provides comprehensive antenna design support such as simulation, testing and manufacturing for custom antenna solutions to meet customers’ specific application needs.

The Quectel YEMN017AA has been designed to deliver superior performance and can be widely used for wireless applications. The 5-in-1 combo antenna features functions including two LMH and two MH cellular antennas and one GNSS L1/L5 antenna, to provide high performance, excellent efficiency, and flexibility. The YEMN017AA can be screw, surface or pole mounted to provide the widest array of deployment options. In common with YEMN016AA, the YEMN017AA also offers an IP69 KIBILAC® ASA enclosure, again with IK09 impact protection, and is supported by Quectel’s comprehensive range of antenna services.

Both the YEMN016AA and the YEMN017AA are being used for applications in intelligent transportation, such as autonomous driving, for smart security in cameras with motions sensors, in the industrial sector for heavy equipment telematics and for first responders.

The Quectel YEMA013AA is a 5G adhesive mount antenna that is optimized for 5G and 4G networks. It offers 8×8 5G/4G MIMO and GNSS L1 and L5 antennas in compact form factor of 264.6 x 157.6 x 30.5mm. The antenna is utilized for passenger transport applications in the bus, rail, and air industries, in the automotive sector for heavy equipment and vehicle tracking and telematics, in remote asset and pipeline monitoring, and for first responder and emergency services. The YEMA013AA is particularly well-suited for customers using industry routers and supports a wide range of applications in IoT or M2M and use cases involving HD video over LTE.

The post Quectel Expands its 5G and GNSS Combo Antennas Portfolio to Advance Coverage and Location Services appeared first on IoT Business News.

• Ideal solution for IoT tracking applications now available
• Integrated solution delivers accurate positioning and shorter time-to-fix
• Alleviates cost and power limitations of traditional hardware GNSS solutions

Sequans Communications S.A., today announced the availability of low-power GNSS positioning capability on its Monarch 2 LTE-M/NB-IoT platform.

The integrated GNSS solution offers Sequans’ IoT customers accurate positioning with lower power consumption, removing the need of an external positioning chipset for an overall higher performing, lower cost tracking solution. The new technology is available on Sequans’ Monarch 2 GM02SP module, a pin-to-pin compatible variant of Sequans’ Monarch 2 GM02S module, with an added GNSS antenna RF input, enabling existing Monarch 2 GM02S customers to take advantage of the added low power GNSS capability easily.

“We are pleased to add this tangible value to our Monarch 2 platform and offer it to our IoT customers,” said Georges Karam, Sequans CEO.

“Having low power GNSS on Monarch 2 widens its capabilities and makes many types of IoT tracker use cases more affordable because there is no need for additional positioning chips or modules.”

“Combined with our already small solution size and ultra-low-power capability, this new GNSS feature makes our Monarch 2 platform an ideal solution for customers launching new tracking products or enhancing existing products with tracking capability.”

The new low power GNSS capability on Monarch 2 leverages Nestwave technology and is ideal for a wide variety of intermittent tracking use cases, including car, bike, scooter, and other personal asset trackers; logistics and fleet trackers; pet, farm animal, and people trackers; emergency assistance beacons; and various types of smart city trackers. Monarch 2 GM02SP module offers multi-functional mode selection with power consumption in the range of a few hundred microwatt-hours per location fix. Power consumption can be adjusted for each fix depending on the use case or for a new triggered event such as emergency asset recovery.

“Sequans Monarch 2 platform is one of the most advanced LTE-M/NB-IoT connectivity solutions in the industry today, and we are pleased that Sequans has adopted our advanced technology to add valuable, low power, accurate positioning capability,” said Ambroise Popper, Nestwave CEO.

Sequans’ GNSS is fully integrated with Monarch 2 and therefore is significantly less expensive than competing chip or module add-ons while delivering a level of accuracy on par with legacy GNSS solutions. The solution supports intermittent or recurrent IoT tracking use cases and allows users to choose from various levels of assistance and performance, depending on use case requirements. Sequans’ GNSS solution can be updated along with Monarch 2 firmware over the air (FOTA) upgrades, giving users instant access to feature upgrades as they become available.

Invoxia, a French company providing leading-edge tracking solutions, is one of Sequans’ first customers to adopt the new GNSS feature of Monarch 2 instead of using an external GNSS chip.

“We are focused on delivering tracker solutions with the highest value possible, and Sequans Monarch with integrated low power GNSS helps us achieve this,” said Amélie Caudron, Invoxia CEO.

“The IoT tracking market is forecasted to reach several hundred million in annual shipments over the next few years, spanning several logistics, agricultural, smart city, and personal tracking applications,” said Andrew Zignani, research director at ABI Research. “However, this market has more stringent power consumption, size, cost, and scalability requirements than traditional GNSS deployments. The arrival of low power GNSS integrated in solutions such as Sequans’ Monarch 2 platform can help keep the bill of materials as low as possible, enable less complex and swifter hardware designs, deliver smaller form factors, and provide greater flexibility, allowing the market to reach its true potential in the years to come.”

The Sequans Monarch 2 GM02SP LTE-M/NB-IoT module with low power GNSS geolocation technology is pin-to-pin compatible with Monarch 2 GM02S module. It features 23 dBm transmit power, a very high level of integration, ultra-low power consumption (1 microamp at rock bottom), a certified EAL5+ secure enclave for integrated SIM (ieUICC), compliant with GSMA standards, an integrated MCU, and Sequans’ Single-SKU RF front end, enabling deployment on any LTE band worldwide.

Monarch 2 GM02SP module samples and NEKTAR-B evaluation kits are available now to select customers.

The post Sequans Introduces Low Power GNSS Positioning Technology on its Monarch 2 LTE-M/NB-IoT Platform appeared first on IoT Business News.

Tech key to safe adoption of autonomous vehicles, flying objects and machinery.

Autonomous trucks need to warn e-bikes of their presence to avoid accidents, first responders need to know the position of critical medical drones with pinpoint accuracy, and operators need to precisely locate precious cargo. Vodafone customers will have applications that do all that and more thanks to a new technology it is testing.

Vodafone has successfully used new precision positioning technology to remotely track a vehicle to within just 10 centimetres of its location, an improvement of more than three metres compared with current standard satellite based systems.

It did this in partnership with leading global positioning provider Sapcorda, using Vodafone’s global Internet of Things (IoT) platform – the largest in the world with 118 million connections.

Pinpoint accuracy is critical to the acceptance and mass adoption of autonomous vehicles not just on the road but in factories, airports, dockyards and any site where machines are in motion. A matter of centimetres could be crucial to ensuring the safety of passengers on a driverless bus, or knowing the precise location of a medical drone. It will also allow an autonomous truck to mind other road users, including cyclists, whose e-bikes can automatically transmit their position and intended direction of travel.

Vodafone Business Platforms and Solutions Director Justin Shields said:

“We might not be able to locate a needle in a haystack yet, but we are getting close. What we can do now is take new digital services like this one, integrate it with our global IoT platform and fast networks, and offer it securely at scale to many millions of customers.”

“Our in-building 5G and IoT services already allow manufacturing plants, research laboratories and factories to carry out critical, and often hazardous, precision work with robots. Now we are applying the same levels of accuracy to the outdoor world.”

The new precise positioning service is another example of how Vodafone is redefining its network and technology on a ‘Telco as a Service’ (TaaS) model. By identifying key network capabilities, and making them available through common APIs in a cloud platform, Vodafone is delivering new software, video and data applications at scale, in addition to gigabit-capable connectivity.

Vodafone believes that large enterprises will benefit hugely from these new technologies. For example, they will be better able to locate critical assets, precisely align machines such as driverless trains at platforms and let farmers, airports, and fleet operators know the exact whereabouts of their autonomous vehicles, buggies and cars at any given time.

Vodafone IoT-enabled vehicles, machinery and devices, when linked with Sapcorda’s comprehensive network of Global Navigation System Service (GNSS) receivers and augmentation technology, improves location accuracy by correcting for things like the curvature of the earth, atmospheric delays and clock differences of global positioning satellites. This offers corporations hyper-precise positioning which they can utilise to ensure a safe environment for their employees, their customers, the public and their machines.

Combined with video and on-board diagnostics, the technology will also allow vehicle operators to carry out accurate location sensitive remote inspections and even pause machines such as grass cutters on public footpaths when they encounter people.

The post Vodafone Tests New Tech That Can Track Vehicles, Drones And Precious Cargo Remotely Within Centimetres appeared first on IoT Business News.

NEO- and LEA-M8T provide smooth multi-GNSS upgrade path for high precision and portable timing applications.

Swiss-based u‑blox, a global leader in cellular and positioning modules and integrated circuits, announces the NEO-M8T and LEA-M8T precision timing modules. The compact, surface-mount modules are able to generate a precise reference clock with <20 ns accuracy. The receivers offer high sensitivity (-157 dBm signal acquisition) with assisted GNSS that enables quick start-up even inside structures with limited sky-view. The precise reference clock is derived from multi-GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) including GPS, GLONASS, and BeiDou. The LEA-M8T module is footprint compatible with existing LEA-5T/6T designs, facilitating easy upgrade. The NEO-M8T is optimized for timing applications requiring low power consumption and long battery life such as geophones used for seismic field measurements. The modules meet stringent industry requirements for reliability, accuracy and low power consumption. Thomas Nigg, vice president of product marketing at u-blox, said:

“These new u-blox modules are the industry’s highest performance GNSS timing modules in terms of accuracy, reliability and power consumption.”

“The new modules are perfect solutions for mission-critical infrastructure systems including mobile communication networks, power generation and distribution systems and seismic measurements.”

The NEO and LEA-M8T modules are multi-GNSS, pin compatible successors to u-blox’ existing PPS timing modules and complements the previously announced GNSS disciplined frequency reference module, LEA‑M8F.

Measuring only 12.2 x 16.0 mm (NEO-M8T) and 17.0 x 22.4 mm (LEA-M8T), the modules deliver high integrity and reliability with RAIM (Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring) and alarms, which are crucial features for 100 percent reliable operation. Two time-pulse outputs are available, configurable from once per minute up to 10 MHz. The modules also output multi-GNSS RAW data including carrier phase, code phase and pseudoranges.

The u-blox modules can deliver time according to any international standard including calibration of inter-constellation offsets. Survey-in and single satellite timing features increase timing accuracy and timing availability with as few as one single satellite in view. Support for low duty cycle operation reduces power consumption for battery-powered applications which results in cost savings as smaller batteries can be used.

The M8T timing modules are delivered in u-blox’ established LEA and NEO form-factors with standardized pin-out, allowing ready migration from previous product generations. u-blox timing products can make optional use of u-blox AssistNow or industry standard aiding data. This reduces the time to first fix and delivers exceptional acquisition sensitivity, even on first installation before precise location or time is known.

For samples and evaluation kit EVK-M8T, please contact the u-blox sales representative nearest you.

The modules will be demonstrated at the Small Cells Americas exhibition in Dallas, Texas, Dec. 1-3, 2014 at u-blox stand number 28.

The post u-blox sets new benchmark for GNSS precision timing with two new modules appeared first on IoT Business News.

Telit’s Jupiter SE880 GPS receiver and Parsec Technologies’ PTA1.5M antenna use only 8% volume to outperform top 25x25x2 mm traditional patch antenna for ultra-compact GPS design.

Telit Wireless Solutions, a global provider of high-quality machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions, products and services and Plano, Texas based Parsec Technologies, Incorporated, a global supplier of advanced amplifier technology communications products, solutions, and services, today announced that a combination of the companies’ technologies results in the world’s lowest profile companion solution for GPS receiver and antenna.

For host devices able to accommodate higher volumetric symmetry, assembly of the components can be made to fit a 6x16x8mm volume. A flat component arrangement can yield an ultra-low-profile volume of 6x16x2.4 mm. Along with class leading miniaturization, the receiver outperforms top traditional designs handling with excellence, a loss of 10dB or greater in the GPS signal reaching, for example, the typical OBD port under a vehicle’s dashboard where many usage-based insurance (UBI) data-loggers are installed. The PTA1.5M active antenna delivers the ultra-sensitive Jupiter SE880 micro receiver over 15dB of additional gain in the operating frequency range. Both companies are making available complete application notes to simplify the engineering effort for system integrators.

The miniature 4.7×4.7mm LGA (Land Grid Array), SiRFstarIV-based Jupiter SE880 receiver module employs leading heterogeneous 3D integrated technology to achieve best-in-class performance in all dimensions critical for regular or size-constrained GPS applications. Its state of the art RF front-end employs spatially calibrated waveguide-quality radio paths inside the three-dimensional space of its architecture drastically reducing parasitic impedances characteristic of traditional 2-D RF designs. Inside, a multi-filter system includes not only the traditional SAW filters typical in GPS receiver designs but also a 2.4 GHz notch-filter capable of nullifying the jamming effects of high-energy radio devices such as Wi-Fi hot-spots, Bluetooth systems, cordless phones, and others, which greatly affect a GPS receiver’s ability to resolve timid satellite signals in the hostile radio environment where they need to operate.

The PTA1.5M, with a gain of 15dB and PTA1.5x2M with a gain of 30dB are the world’s smallest GNSS active antenna modules capable of receiving signals down to -192 dBm with frequency centered at 1575.42 (±1.023) MHz. Either model delivers a radiated efficiency greater than 60% when mated to the Jupiter SE880 receiver. Parsec’s PT1233D LNA also has the highest available IP3 at low voltage, helping eliminate interference. Both PTA1.5M and PTA1.5x2M can incorporate the antenna element, an optional SAW filter, the cascadable PT1233D LNA, matching and passives components, on a low cost, easy to integrate 10×16 mm single sided PCBA with “back side” copper clad ground plane. The height of the PTA1.5M and PTA1.5x2M modules vary according to application, allowing their use in even the smallest form factors including Intel’s M.2 Next Generation Form Factor (NGFF) module (23x30x2.4 mm, LxWxH).

“Receivers combining the Parsec PTA/PT Family and Telit’s Jupiter SE880 modules deliver good user experience in finished LBS critical products without sacrificing design flexibility, ease of implementation or cost,” said Michael A. Neenan, CEO and founder of Parsec Technologies, Inc.

“The combination is ‘bullet-proof’ in providing a rewarding design experience making RF work reliably, passing end-product regulatory compliance testing without re-test.”

“Miniaturization is a major enabler of new application areas for positioning and M2M,” said Taneli Tuurnala, Vice President and Head of GNSS Division of Telit Wireless Solutions.

“With the Parsec antennas, the complete receiver features the industry’s ‘smallest landed footprint’ making it suitable for use in wearable electronics, UBI devices or adapters for the mobile computing industry.”

The post World’s Lowest Profile Active and Passive Antennas from Parsec Technologies Make Perfect Companions to Mini GPS Receiver from Telit and Achieve Best-in-Class Position Accuracy, Sensitivity appeared first on IoT Business News.

GateTel Set to Enter U.S. Market with Terminals Based on Telit Modules.

Telit Wireless Solutions, a global provider of high-quality machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions, products and services and GateTel Inc., a developer and manufacturer of GPRS, GSM, UMTS and GPS terminals, today announced an expansion of longstanding partnership into the North American market. With the opening of GateTel’s new regional offices in Newport Beach, California, GateTel and Telit – who have been strong partners for over 10 years – are now set to cooperate as GateTel plans to manufacture fully certified terminals for the OEM market based solely on Telit modules in California.

GateTel’s North America production is to start with three cellular terminals for the top three wireless networks, all supporting GNSS: the GT-HE910-NAG, the GT-DE910-S and the GT-DE910-V. The new products enable connectivity to the respective U.S. mobile network operators. Telit is collaborating closely with GateTel to ensure the terminals are fully network approved when they arrive in the market later this year.

The three new terminals are based on Telit’s xE910 family products. The GT-HE910-NAG is based on the HE910-NAG HSPA+ module capable of 14.4 Mbps downlink and 5.7 Mbps uplink data rates; plus the SL869 GPS+GLONASS GNSS receiver module. The GT-DE910-S and GT-DE910-V are based on the DE910-DUAL 1xEV-DO Rev.A module. The DE910-DUAL is capable of 3.1 Mbps downlink and 1.8 Mps uplink data rates; and is equipped with an embedded GPS+GLONASS GNSS receiver, which will be used by GateTel for the positioning functionality in these two EV-DO terminals.

The xE910 Unified Form Factor family is comprised of pin-to-pin compatible devices in Telit’s broadest range of cellular air interfaces and band combinations making it a pillar of the concept “design once and deploy globally”. A one-time design and integration effort enables worldwide or regional device re-use across different data rates and wireless technologies with air interfaces in GSM/GPRS, UMTS/HSPA+, 1xRTT, EV-DO, and LTE. The xE910 family fully preserves the core design of the application or device from launch to phase-out with family modules packaged in a common 28.2×28.2 mm LGA footprint; and is ideally suited for compact sized solutions for mid to high-volume applications.

The SL869 offers class leading multi-constellation GNSS functionality. Dead-reckoning and TRAIM support can additionally provide an integrated, cost effective solutions for navigation, tracking and timing applications. The Jupiter SL869 offers seamless integration with Telit cellular modules.

“It is very rewarding to help GateTel, a Telit customer since day one, to expand into North America,” said Mike Ueland, senior vice president and general manager of Telit Wireless Solutions North America. “GateTel has been a loyal Telit customer working with us in Europe, the Middle East and now North America.”

“The last couple of years have seen an increase in demand for our terminal products,” said David Ezer, CEO of GateTel, Inc.

“North America is a market where many concepts and ideas are tried. We are excited to offer a complete line of M2M terminals in the States to our new customers.”

The post GateTel and Telit Expand Cooperation in North America with HSPA+ and EV-DO Cellular and GNSS Terminals appeared first on IoT Business News.

GE910-GNSS to Deliver GPS, GLONASS, Galileo-ready Positioning Along with GSM/GPRS Connectivity.

Telit Wireless Solutions, a global provider of high-quality machine-to-machine (M2M) solution, products and services, today announced the introduction of the company’s first combination 2G-cellular, multi-constellation satellite positioning receiver module, the GE910-GNSS. The product which incorporates an ARM11 processing core capable of running customer applicationsinternally without the need for additional electronics, can deliver a fully functional high-performance tracking solution from the stamp-sized xE910 form factor.

The GE910-GNSS is comprised of two fully independent functional blocks: the quad-band GSM/GPRS GE910-QUAD engine and the multi-constellation GNSS receivercapable of independent or simultaneous GPS and GLONASS. The GE910-GNSS can function as a best in class tracking solution even in built up or noisy environments orin cellular-only or GNSS-only modes. The product can be ordered with an m2mAIR SIM chip mounted inside the module allowing it to be instantly connected to the cellular network and the broad range of remote module management services from Telit’s m2mAIR.

The GSM/GPRS engine in the GE910-GNSS is voice capable with both analog and digital (DVI) interfaces. It delivers GPRS class 10, 3GPP Release 4 compliant data communications and is equipped with a USB 2.0 full speed interface. The GNSS receiver supports NMEA and RTCM standards over GPS (L1), Glonass (L1, FDMA), and Galileo (E1) frequency bands. It leverages a 32-channel GPS architecture for a
CEP50 Position accuracy of 1.5m (5 ft) and a time to first fix from cold start of less than 35 seconds. For streamlined application development and system integration the company offers USB drivers for Windows desktop, Windows Embedded CE, Linux, and Android. RIL drivers are also available.

The embedded Python script language interpreter allows the ARM11 processing core in the cellular engine to run customer applications which can among other things, access the GNSS core directly. With this capability and the benefit of an embedded m2mAIR SIM chip, a full-blown high-performance multi-constellation tracking device for assets, people, or livestock can be developed with little more than the GE910-GNSS, a host board and antennas.

“The launch of the GE910-GNSS rounds out the xE910 product family with the combined functionalities of the GE910-QUAD 2G cellular engine and afull-function multi-constellation GNSS receiverinto the popular xE910 form factor,” said Dominikus Hierl, chief marketing officer at Telit Wireless Solutions.

“Take this rich functionality and add the convenience and robustness of an embedded m2mAIR SIM chip and the customer application does not even require a SIM cardholder and the electronics which go with it.”

The xE910 Unified Form Factor family is comprised of pin-to-pin compatible devices in Telit’s broadest range of cellular air interfaces and band combinations making it a pillar of the concept “design once and deploy globally”. A one-time design and integration effort enables worldwide or regional device re-use across different data rates and wireless technologies with air interfaces in GSM/GPRS, UMTS/HSPA+, 1xRTT, EV-DO, and LTE. The xE910 family was conceived to enable applications to be easily upgraded in a number of dimensions, for example when migrating from 2G to 3G and further to 4G. The xE910 family fully preserves the core design of the application or device from launch to phase-out with family modules packaged in a common 28.2×28.2 mm LGA footprint.

The post Telit Unveils Market’s Smallest COMBO2G Cellular Module with Multi-constellation Satellite Positioning Receiver appeared first on IoT Business News.

u-blox GNSS platform locks onto position using live BeiDou satellite signals.

Swiss-based u blox (SIX:UBXN), a leading provider of GPS/GNSS and wireless semiconductors, has achieved successful satellite positioning using China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. The technical achievement establishes u-blox as the first GNSS (“Global Navigation Satellite System”) component vendor to demonstrate compatibility with all globally deployed positioning systems: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and now BeiDou. Customer demonstration of the technology will begin during Q1 2013.

Thomas Seiler, u-blox CEO, said:

“As the technology leader in global positioning electronics, we are thrilled to have achieved this milestone only 3 weeks after the BeiDou specification was published. China will become the world’s most important single market for devices relying on embedded satellite navigation, and u-blox plans to be a major player in this market.”

BeiDou-2, also known as “Compass”, currently has 15 satellites in orbit, offering navigation and positioning services to users in China and Southeast Asia. It will ultimately consist of 35 satellites providing worldwide positioning capability over its open service to within 10 meters accuracy.

The post u-blox demonstrates navigation using Chinese BeiDou satellite system appeared first on IoT Business News.

The GNSS IC market is showing steady revenue growth in 2012, with the industry now setting its sights on the next major milestone: $3 Billion.

The smartphone market remains over 70% of revenue in 2012, but is an increasingly difficult market for standalone GPS IC vendors. For those that remain, indoor location will be the next major make-or-break technology, while also presenting the potential to generate additional revenue, as illustrated by Qualcomm’s IZat platform. However, in the latest edition of its GPS & GNSS Market Data, ABI Research is forecasting that as the overall GNSS market continues to grow, cellular will become less important, declining to approximately 55% of revenues in 2017. The reason is the changing landscape of the GNSS market, as new opportunities emerge across a range of portable device markets.

As illustrated, ABI Research is forecasting a major shift in the market mix for GPS ICs, as new markets emerge around tablets, cameras, femtocells, M2M, fitness, and personal tracking and IC vendors become less reliant on the more traditional PND and the in-car markets. This should create opportunities for combo-ICs modules, indoor and software-based implementations. Senior analyst Patrick Connolly commented, “All major vendors are re-assessing their design approaches for emerging markets, by U-Blox’s acquisition of Fastrax and the recent CSR-Samsung deal.”

Practice director, Dominique Bonte added:

“Breaking $2 Billion illustrates how valuable the consumer GNSS IC market has become. The year 2013 will bring significant change and opportunities to the market, with new indoor technologies, emerging vertical markets, and competitors.”

The post GPS/GNSS IC Market on Course to Break $2 Billion in 2012, Says ABI Research appeared first on IoT Business News.

Assets include GPS/GLONASS modules, software GNSS, smart-antennas and profitable business.

u-blox, a global leader in positioning and wireless semiconductors, announces the acquisition of privately owned, Finnish-based Fastrax Oy, a company that specializes in a broad range of GNSS positioning and antenna modules.

The company brings additional products to u-blox’ portfolio, including software GNSS solutions used for consumer and industrial applications, and advanced GNSS modules that include integrated antenna.

“Over its 12 year history, Fastrax has established itself as a successful player in the global positioning markets worldwide,” said Thomas Seiler, u-blox CEO.

“Their modules exploit the best features of four leading GNSS chip vendors and include advanced antenna modules. These products are an excellent complement to our existing portfolio, and will benefit from u‑blox’ economy of scale in terms of our advanced R&D capabilities, semiconductor technologies, global sales channels, established supply chain and high-volume manufacturing resources.”

“Combining our leading GNSS products and technologies will give our customers a more attractive choice, while streamlining our operations and lower costs”, said Fastrax CEO, Taneli Tuurnala.

“This merger brings together two recognized, profitable GNSS technology leaders with broad market base; the sum of this acquisition is significantly larger than its parts.”

The acquisition entails purchase of 100% of the shares of Fastrax Oy at a price of 13.0 million Euros. Certain pay-out rules apply to Fastrax management members. We expect revenue of around CHF 2 million and an EBIT of CHF 0.1 million for the remainder of 2012, and revenue of CHF 13 to 15 million with an accretive EBIT margin of 15-20% for 2013.

The post Acquisition of Fastrax expands u-blox’ positioning market footprint appeared first on IoT Business News.

u-blox, the global leader in positioning and wireless technology for the machine-to-machine (M2M), automotive and consumer markets, is proud to announce the launch of its next generation core positioning technology platform u-blox 7.

Supporting all deployed as well as soon-to-be deployed Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), the platform is based on the UBX-G7020 multi-GNSS receiver IC which boasts the lowest power consumption on the market by at least a factor of three as compared to other standalone solutions.

With only 7 mW power consumption during continuous navigation, u‑blox’ UBX-G7020 is perfect for small portable and power-sensitive devices requiring long battery life, high sensitivity, small size and fast positioning. US, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and EU satellite positioning systems plus all Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) are supported.

“As the satellite systems expand beyond GPS, u-blox 7 is an important step for our customers to design systems that work with all available global navigation standards, particularly GLONASS which is now fully operational.”

“Our multi-GNSS UBX-G7020 integrated circuit does exactly that while achieving two of the most important features that our customers demand: minimum power consumption and small size” said Andreas Thiel, Executive Vice President R&D Hardware, and Co-founder of u-blox.

The chip has been designed to support the lowest cost stand-alone solution via minimum eBOM; only 8 external components are required resulting in a receiver occupying only 30 mm² on a 2-layer PCB.  Standard crystal and TCXO are supported. The chip also provides low-power, autonomous log data output of position, velocity, and time. Support for A-GPS and u-blox’ unique CellLocate^TM hybrid GNSS/cellular positioning technology is embedded to facilitate advanced telematics applications including indoor positioning. Standard and automotive grade are supported.

First samples of the multi-GNSS receiver chip UBX-G7020 are available for customer evaluation. Shortly afterwards, module customers can easily migrate to the MAX, NEO, and LEA form factors, u-blox’ popular module series which will all be upgraded to the new u-blox 7 platform.

u-blox 7 maintains software compatibility with u-blox 5 and u-blox 6, and modules provide drop-in compatibility. Both previous generation platforms remain fully supported. u-blox’ capability of delivering GNSS technology in both integrated circuit and module form provides maximum design flexibility for a wide variety of applications. To evaluate the performance of the u-blox 7 multi-GNSS platform, evaluation kits supporting all u-blox 7 based chips and modules can be ordered.

The post Introducing u-blox 7, the world’s lowest-power multi-GNSS platform appeared first on IoT Business News.