CSRIC working group expects only ‘slightly better’ 911 location accuracy with VoLTE

In its report, a the CSRIC working group made the following observations about OTDOA, assisted GPS/assisted Global Navigation Satellite System (A-GPS/A-GNSS) and small-cell location technologies:

·         “LTE is not expected to significantly improve Time to First Fix (TTFF) as compared to 2G/3G. This is because the TTFF will be dominated by GNSS location determination time.”

·         “A-GPS yield, accuracy and TTFF may modestly improve in synchronous LTE networks as compared with asynchronous GSM/UMTS networks, since the finer time accuracy (1.5 – 5 uSec) speeds the acquisition of the GPS signals. In a Synchronous LTE Network, GPS is used to synchronize the [eNodeBs].”

·         A-GNSS (e.g., GPS & GLONASS) is expected to roll out concomitantly with LTE, which will allow more satellite vehicles to be used in the location calculations.”

·         “LTE OTDOA is expected to give improved performance (accuracy and yield) compared to CDMA AFLT.”

·        “Small-cell deployments are more likely to happen in LTE, due to spectrum allocations in the 3.5GHz band and rapid increases in wireless data consumption. This could lead to a more accurate Phase I location for small cells with small coverage areas, which in some cases may be accurate enough for first-responder dispatching.”