NTT Docomo Business upgrades Mobile GNSS receiver in Japan

NTT Docomo Business said upgrades made since late 2023 to NTT's Mobile GNSS positioning service improve positioning accuracy and availability in previously occluded areas in Japan. The service combines Global Navigation Satellite System, or GNSS, signals with sensor data, and NTT said the improvements could expand use in building, rail, power and public services.

NTT deployed an upgraded receiver that combines location data from RTK, or real-time kinematic, correction technology with data from a nine-axis sensor that calculates a terminal's attitude, direction and angular velocity. NTT said the latest receiver has battery life twice as long as the previous model, uses an LTE module to improve positioning information, and replaces eSIM with a physical nano SIM to enable deployment in aircraft such as drones.

NTT said RTK adds correction information from ground stations to position data from GNSS satellites to improve location accuracy and availability where satellite signals are obstructed. NTT recently demonstrated the system with TBS Television during a mini-marathon, using it to locate runners, as operators and enterprises continue to test more precise positioning systems for industrial and public-service use cases.