GPS In A SIM
Caught this it
em just a couple hours ago. Very, very interesting. A German startup, BlueSky Positioning has just announced a complete (including antenna) GPS receiver on a SIM (Subscriber Information Module). This will be as amazing to my Asian, Australian and European readers as it is to me, but for some of my North American readers … attuned to thinking of a cell phone as an “appliance” bought from a carrier, cell phones for years now have gotten their “smarts” from an industry-standard, customer removable chip inside the phone known as the SIM. About the size of a man’s thumb nail the SIM identifies your phone to the carrier, holds your telephone number and tons of other data depending upon manufacturer and your personal preference. Here in Asia many cell users carry multiple SIM cards so they can use a different carrier in different areas of the country, use a carrier with a special overseas calling plan, etc. You buy a SIM card at a cellular dealer, at a carrier’s sales office, from a street vendor or even a vending machine. But a whole GPS receiver on a SIM? That’s news and here’s why….
GPS receivers have been rapidly shrinking in recent years, but this is a massive reduction in size as well as the technical feat of receiving GPS satellite signals from a space sandwiched between the phone battery and circuit board. The unit does require a GPS assistance processor connected to the carrier’s network … but that’s common in the specialized GSM processing world. Specifically that makes the BlueSky offering an Assisted GPS or A-GPS. It’s still a technical marvel to a guy who remembers the first GPS receiver he saw in use coming in three large metal carrying cases that filled the whole cargo area of a Chevy Suburban. .
At an interview, according to my wonderful friends at The Register
BlueSky Positioning CEO Risto Savolainen said: “We are only allowed [by the GSM SIM standard] to draw six milliamps, which was a challenge.”
One of many, it would seem. When it comes to picking up the GPS signal Blue Sky Positioning had a novel approach: “Most antennas are designed in free space, to have nothing around them. We started out knowing that there would be metal all around us. That’s our secret - how the antenna works, but when we take away the battery, take the SIM out of the phone, the signal is no longer there.”
I’m sure most people involved are well aware of the typical slang meaning of “Blue Sky” ventures and predictions. But in this case I sure hope this comes to fruition. There’s a huge, huge business reason this is needed regarding the European Union emergency call location rules … expect another blog post on that soon … but there is a lot more possible on the commercial side .. congratulations, indeed to BlueSky.