Measurement and Modeling of Network Delays for MS-Based A-GPS Assistance Delivery

Abstract

While conventional global positioning system (GPS) receivers have gained popularity for applications in open-sky environments, their performance degrades in challenging conditions, such as urban canyons and indoors. The assisted GPS (A-GPS) concept enhanced receiver capability to operate in weak signal conditions using terrestrial links to communicate helpful information such as satellite orbital parameters, coarse estimates of time and location, and so forth. The A-GPS mode has been standardized for many wireless networks and is integrated in high-end simulators to support development and testing efforts. As the terrestrial-assistance data channel becomes an important link for the receiver, the statistical modeling of information delivery delays should be addressed to simulate more adequate operation scenarios. This paper addresses this aspect by presenting a delay measurement and modeling approach for Mobile Station Based assistance data. Even though the approach can be applied to other measurement setups, this paper is presented for standardized secure user plane location architecture that exploits data channels of wireless networks to deliver assistance data. Measurement data are collected and modeled for various scenarios of relative deployment of assistance servers and receivers. Delays are modeled for LAN, WLAN, third-generation mobile telecommunication, high-speed downlink packet access, and fourth-generation long-term evolution networks, with the transmission control protocol and the Internet protocol connection between a server and receiver.