Keysight accelerates LBS implementation in smartphones with the latest GCF validation – within GNSS

Keysight Technologies recently became the first to obtain Global Certification Forum (GCF) validation of a 5G-assisted A-Galileo test case for Location-Based Services (LBS) by combining 5G New Radio (NR) technology with GNSS – an achievement It will speed up the LBS application in smartphones.

Together, 5G NR and GNSS create GNSS (A-GNSS), enabling mobile phone vendors to verify that designs comply with the latest 3GPP specification supporting precise positioning for sectors such as healthcare, land and air transportation, and emergency and rescue services. public safety and home security. Precise positioning services also enable the delivery of customized services that support entertainment, hospitality and retail applications.

“A-GNSS allows the GNSS receiver in a 5G smartphone to obtain information from network resources to help locate the satellite,” said Keysight general manager Muthu Kumaran. “It is useful, especially when the receiver is in a place where it is difficult for the satellite signal to penetrate. The challenge is that satellites have a very low signal level because they are so far out in space, so GNSS receiver performance is critical. Industry certification becomes important to ensure its performance,” he says. for the standard.”

Authentication achievement

The approval process required Keysight to implement the 3GPP specific test in the E7515B UXM 5G Wireless Test Platform, which is an integrated signaling test platform with multi-format stack support, rich processing power, and abundant RF resources to simulate various mobility scenarios in 5G network as well as a recommended GNSS simulator to provide a test case LBS. Kumaran said the test case is verified by capturing traffic logs from two different machines and submitting them to an independent verification organization to verify compliance with the specification. The 72nd GCF Conformity Agreement Group (CAG) meeting confirmed the test status verification in October.

The test case was supported by Keysight’s S8705A RF/RRM DVT and Matching Kit. The toolkit provides access to a wide range of RF, Radio Resource Management (RRM) and Development Validation Test (DVT) test cases used to validate 5G NR designs in both non-standalone (NSA) and standalone (SA) deployment modes.

“The S8705A kit supports the widest validated coverage of 5G NR test cases including TRx, Demod, RRM, data rate and A-GNSS, enabling the user to pre-test and conformity test their products before market launch,” Kumaran said. “The toolkit also enables flexible test criteria to be defined to measure and test device performance beyond the limits set by conformance regimes.”

Why LBS?

Kumaran said a location-based service is any technology that relies on real-time location tracking to function.

“Technology continually determines the user’s physical and geographic location, which is then used to perform services and functions,” Kumaran said. “The main technology is GNSS (GPS, Galileo, Glonas, Beidou), but cellular technology, using base station triangulation, can also be combined with GNSS to increase location accuracy.”

LBS test cases like this one allow users to check sensitivity, accuracy, and dynamic range in mobile phones that use star constellations from satellites for precise geolocation.

A variety of industries can benefit from LBS, including travel. Our Rideshare LBS works, Kumaran says, while roadside assistance companies often provide an app that makes it possible to track someone’s exact location after a car accident, for example.

Public safety is another area where LBS plays an important role, Kumaran said, by locating the physical locations of emergency callers.

“When callers of Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) are unable to pinpoint their exact location, measures are required to send first responders to the correct location,” Kumaran said. Similarly, in a mass emergency, the ability to send intelligent messages only to those users within a well-defined geographic area can make official response measures more effective. Both scenarios rely on the accuracy, speed, and reliability of automated LBS to help public safety personnel find and assist those in need. “.

What’s Next

Kumaran said Keysight plans to increase test case coverage of LBS for either Assisted Galileo, Assisted GPS or Assisted Beidou, and will work to obtain the first GCF validation of LBS test cases for Glonass Global Navigation Satellite System as soon as the hardware becomes available.

Once this goal is achieved, the company will focus on validating positioning improvements in Rel-16, enabling precise GNSS-assisted positioning with the help of cellular networks, not only outdoors with satellite view, but also indoors.

“For this, the devices will need to support the new downlink-based positioning method to meet the positioning accuracy required in these new scenarios,” Kumaran said. This new method relies on a new positioning reference signal (PRS) that allows a more accurate time-of-arrival (ToA) estimate. The UE will report the PRS received from multiple base stations and this information will allow their exact location to be determined.”

Kumaran said Keysight will continue to provide support for tests of positioning improvements that will be included in Rel-17 with a focus on Industrial Internet of Things scenarios, which will require higher accuracy and lower latency.

“New applications require new scenarios where the position of the device needs to be known faster and with greater accuracy,” Kumaran said. “This is achieved by combining the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and cellular technologies.”