• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
5G Positioning

5G Positioning

Location Based Services in Cellular Networks

  • News
    • Archive
  • Networks
    • 5G New Radio
  • Technologies
  • Applications
  • Tutorials
  • Book

Cellular Network Positioning Technologies

Cellular network positioning technologies use and combine a variety of methods to obtain accurate location fixes.

You are here: Home / Cellular Network Positioning Technologies

Cellular network positioning technologies use and combine a variety of methods to obtain accurate location fixes. These technologies can be classified in two broad categories:

  • RAT-Dependent positioning technologies
  • RAT-Independent positioning technologies
Cellular network positioning technologies - RAT dependent


RAT Dependent positioning technologies use the cellular network radio signal to obtain the positioning measurements. These measurements can be based on the timing of the signal (e.g. DL-TDOA or Multi-RTT), on the power of the signal (e.g. ECID) or based on the angle of arrival / departure of the signal (e.g. DL-AoD).



A-GNSS positioning uses satellite systems (e.g. GPS or Galileo) for the location calculation. It is a type of RAT-Independent positioning technology and probably the most famous positioning method.

Cellular network positioning technologies - A-GNSS


Cellular network positioning technologies - RAT Independent

Other RAT-Independent positioning technologies include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, atmospheric pressure measurements, inertial measurement units, etc.


Brief history of cellular network positioning technologies

Support for A-GPS based positioning was added during the 2nd generation cellular networks. A-GPS takes advantage of the US satellite system. A-GPS is used to reduce the satellite acquisition time, which for standalone GPS can take a few minutes. The cellular network sends satellite assistance data and the acquisition reduces from minutes to just a few seconds.

In later releases, the denomination changed from A-GPS to A-GNSS to include as well other global satellite systems, such as Glonass, Galileo and Beidou.

The 2nd generation cellular networks also introduced the first network-based positioning technologies. GSM, for instance, defined Observed Time Difference (OTD), a hyperbolic localization system. OTD is based in the same localization principle as LORAN-C, a maritime navigation system used from the World War II until the early 2000s.

Up until LTE, the type of cellular network positioning technologies remained more or less constant: a combination of A-GNSS and ToA (Time of Arrival) and TDoA (Time Difference of Arrival) network techniques. The positioning accuracy increased naturally with technology, but the fundamental principles remained the same.

Indoor positioning

In the late 2000s / early 2010s, the FCC of the US published the wireless E911 positioning requirements. These requirements include not only outdoor but indoor positioning requirements as well.

Indoor environments pose an additional challenge for positioning technologies. The GNSS signal does not easily penetrate indoors, due to the low reception powers. On the other hand, RAT dependent technologies also suffer indoors, due among other reasons to the multipath conditions.

This resulted in the introduction of other RAT independent technologies, like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and sensor-based positioning.

5G positioning

5G came with multiple new positioning use cases and requirements. Autonomous driving, automatic drone control, patient tracking in or outside hospital, traffic management, industry 2.0, ride sharing apps, etc.

These new demanding applications raised the need for more advanced positioning technologies. High accuracy GNSS enhancements, such as RTK and PPP promise centimeter level positioning accuracy. 5G has also defined a set of brand new RAT-dependent technologies, including new angle-based positioning methods that take advantage of 5G’s massive MIMO and beamforming capabilities.

These new technologies are meant to be the future of cellular network positioning.

Primary Sidebar

Search

Recent Posts

  • How does positioning during emergency calls work?
  • The Google Maps hack by a Berliner artist
  • Sensors in mobile phones: the Inertial Measurement Unit
  • How do Covid-19 Contact Tracing apps work?
  • Covid-19 Tracking Apps
Cellular network location based services in a city

Footer

Categories

  • 5G New Radio
  • 5G Positioning General
  • BLE
  • Book
  • Cellular Networks
  • EU
  • FCC
  • RAT-Independent
  • Regulatory Requirements
  • Tutorials

Popular Tags

5G applications ble btle cellular networks covid covid-19 E911 eCall Fake traffic jam Google Maps Hacks IMU LBS location based services Positioning Positioning in emergency calls sensors user tracking

Navigation

  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

Social

Follow along on social media.

Copyright © 2023 ยท 5G Positioning

This website uses cookies to give you the best possible experience. If you continue to use the site, we shall assume that you accept the use of cookies. You can find more information and opt out of non-essential cookies in our "Privacy and cookie policy".Accept CookiesDisable non-essential cookiesPrivacy and cookie policy
You can come back revoke your consent any time using the Open Cookie Notice button in the Privacy and cookie policy page.Open Cookie Notice