ST-Ericsson, a specialist in wireless platforms and semiconductors, is launching the world’s smallest receiver to be able to see both GPS and GLONASS positioning satellites, enabling mobile devices to deliver much faster and much more reliable location-based services. Compared to GPS-only solutions, the combination of GLONASS and GPS technology is claimed to dramatically improve positioning accuracy in dense “urban canyon environments”, where tall buildings can obscure satellite signals, as well as significantly reducing the time it takes to initially determine a device’s location.
Requiring just two external components, ST-Ericsson’s new CG1950 is the first GPS/GLONASS receiver to be built in 45 nanometer silicon, enabling manufacturers to produce sleek, low-cost devices capable of supporting highly-accurate navigation, mobile social networking, augmented reality and other location-based services. The low-power CG1950 is designed to be integrated into mobile phones, camcorders, cameras and other mobile devices.
“The frustration of waiting for your device to locate you will be a thing of the past once receivers can connect to both GPS and GLONASS satellites,” said Thierry Tingaud, Senior Vice President Entry solutions & Connectivity Division of ST-Ericsson. “This breakthrough will also mean more precise positioning, fueling demand for augmented reality applications and other sophisticated location-based services that depend on very accurate readings.”