More and more GPS-enabled devices are entering the consumer marketplace, many incorporating assisted-GPS (A-GPS) technology. These include not only cellular phones, but laptop datacards, PDAs, and other mobile equipment.
Increasingly, GPS devices that were previously standalone now incorporate a cellular modem for such applications as mapping download or live traffic alerts. The proliferation of GPS in the consumer space can also be seen in the availability of GPS automotive navigation systems in local supermarkets or large grocery stores.
More and more GPS-enabled devices are entering the consumer marketplace, many incorporating assisted-GPS (A-GPS) technology. These include not only cellular phones, but laptop datacards, PDAs, and other mobile equipment.
Increasingly, GPS devices that were previously standalone now incorporate a cellular modem for such applications as mapping download or live traffic alerts. The proliferation of GPS in the consumer space can also be seen in the availability of GPS automotive navigation systems in local supermarkets or large grocery stores.
Those who purchase these products expect the technology to function everywhere, continuously, be simple to use and to always have the most obscure address in its database.
To help ensure the successful deployment of this concept in cellular devices, the telecommunications industry’s standards and certification bodies have been working diligently on a standardized approach to A-GPS certification.
In recent years, the subject of A-GPS, its purpose, and operation, has gotten a lot of attention in the technical and trade media. The authors of these various sources have focused on either the technical details or on the performance of the technology in the areas for which it was or was not primarily designed.
For example, performance in urban canyons and indoor environments or development and testing by manufacturers, cellular network operators or research organizations of products using this technology.
In contrast, this paper focuses on how a mobile device that incorporates A-GPS technology gains certification for use on a 2G or 3G (GSM or UMTS) cellular network.
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