Analysis of hybridised solutions of GNSS with LPWAN for IoT

The Internet of Things will connect an enormous number of objects and devices in the near future. For many of these non-stationary objects, positioning will play a vital role. However, the efficient integration of GNSS into many IoT applications poses multiple problems – especially for low-power wireless network technologies such as LPWANs. As these networks are often characterised by limited data throughput, assisted data downloads are not possible for every LPWAN, forcing devices into performing battery-draining cold starts. However, novel technologies are on the rise that could overcome these technological hurdles, making ubiquitous GNSS positioning -- even for low-cost battery powered IoT devices -- attractive.

In the study, “Analysis of hybridised solutions of GNSS with LPWAN and other communication networks for IoT,” Novaspace evaluated different LPWANs for combined usage with GNSS and investigated novel power efficient PNT estimation techniques.

The study of connectivity technologies included both proprietary networks, such as Sigfox and LoRa, as well as cellular-based technologies like NB-IoT and LTE-M. The analysed PNT estimation techniques ranged from device-based techniques like autonomous ephemeris calculations to assisted GNSS and cutting-edge cloud-based snapshot technologies.