CSR and Motorola to Form EGPS Forum for Advancement and Improvement of Location Technologies

(Business News & Technology News, 29 Jan 2008)

SR and Motorola intend to create an open industry forum to evaluate and foster enhanced Global Positioning System (EGPS) technologies. When used on a mobile device, EGPS technologies augment GPS to provide timely and accurate position information in demanding environments. The EGPS Forum is expected to advocate improvement to location technologies in mobile devices and is committed to meeting consumer and regulatory needs for precise and consistent levels of location information.

Current commercialised location technologies meet the basic needs of consumers and minimum regulatory requirements for widespread use in mobile phones; however, high value commercial services require location technologies that provide prompt, consistent and reliable position information, even indoors, within the limited power budget of a portable device. Emergency services also require accurate indoor positioning. The intended goal of the EGPS Forum will be to ensure that technologies which enhance GPS are put in place to meet these advanced requirements.

The EGPS Forum will be open to a broad array of participants from the telecommunications industry including handset manufacturers, location technology companies, network infrastructure providers and mobile network carriers. Initial activities of the Forum will focus on evaluating hybrid technologies that enhance GPS by combining satellite measurements with timing measurements taken from cellular networks and on establishing the underlying infrastructure to ensure full interoperability of this technology.

CSR and Motorola expect the procedure for EGPS field trials and performance testing to be in place in the first half of 2008.

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