The use of characteristic features of wireless cellular networks for transmission of GNSS assistance and correction data

Precise Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning using Real Time Kinematics (RTK) correction data is currently utilized in many fields of surveying, mapping and precision agriculture. In the near future, sub decimeter precision data usage is expected to extend to autonomous vehicles navigation and public safety areas. To satisfy this increasing demand of precision positioning correction bandwidth, new techniques and protocols in assistance and correction data transmission are needed. This paper reviews one such possible technique involving sending correction dataset via public wireless cellular networks. The data will be transmitted through a hybrid system integrating correction data broadcasted in the wireless cellular network control plane with AGNSS assistance data and correction metadata in the user plane. Through this system, the bandwidth intensive, low refresh rate data of GNSS system ephemeris, reference station and satellite identification is omitted from the main data stream. Instead, a constant bit rate (CBR) stream for correction data is used and bandwidth is conserved. The results show that the proposed system can achieve scalability required for widespread usage of sub decimeter level positioning data from GNSS.