Trainers,
Broadcom, the global leader in semiconductor production and silicon magic, has announced a new GPS chip dubbed BCM47755 that dramatically increases GPS accuracy and improves battery usage.
The revolutionary chip will be available starting in 2018, on select partner phones (not yet disclosed).
BCM47755 supports two type of GPS frequencies: L1 (currently in use) and L5 (deployed on newer satellites) and a suite of technologies that enable ultra low power consumption in usage. The official press release states that the chips drain less than half the power of previous generation GNSS chips!
GNSS is the correct term for all global systems, including GPS, Russia’s GLONASS and Europe’s Galileo. The new chip will be compatible with them all.
With around 30 L5-equipped satellites now in orbit, there’s enough coverage for the system to be reliable.
The list of advantages this chip will provide is incredible:
- increased GPS accuracy up to 30 cm in various scenarios
- much lower battery consumption (now in ultra-low range)
- more resistance to signal jamming and location interference (GPS drift)
- significantly smaller physical footprint
For reference, the currently available L1 chips are accurate up to 5 meters and feature a significant battery drain.
Some phone makers have already signed deals for the Broadcom BCM47755 to be included in several 2018 flagship phones, but at the moment the chipmaker isn’t revealing who those partners are, so we’ll have to wait and see.
Broadcom will be presenting further information on the BCM47755 in the Ubiquitous Navigation panel at the ION GNSS+ 2017 on September 27th, 2017.
