Qualcomm has announced support for the Russian GLONASS satellite positioning system with a chipset that means receivers can use both the GPS and GLONASS networks simultaneously for greater location performance.
The combination of GPS and GLONASS, will enable devices to retrieve positioning data from more than 50 satellites by the end of 2011.
The first GLONASS capable phone is the MTS 945 from ZTE, which uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon MSM7x30 chipset.
Support for both satellite networks is currently integrated into Qualcomm's Snapdragon MSM7x30 chipset and software.
"Supporting both positioning technologies gives users of ZTE's latest smartphone the benefit of up to 55 different satellites when calculating their global position for navigation or any location-based application,” said Raj Talluri, vice president of product management for Qualcomm.
“The result is more accurate location performance, all over the world, particularly in challenging urban environments where the combination of narrow streets and tall buildings can degrade accuracy," said Talluri.
"According to our estimates, the market of GLONASS-enabled devices will grow at high rates," said MTS vice president and chief commercial officer Mikhail Gerchuk.
ST-Ericsson has also developed a receiver capable of picking up signals from both GPS and GLONASS positioning satellites.
The firm’s CG1950 is the first GPS/GLONASS receiver will be fabbed in a 45nm chip which is designed to be integrated into mobile phones, camcorders, cameras and other mobile devices.
“This will also mean more precise positioning, fuelling demand for augmented reality applications and other sophisticated location-based services that depend on very accurate readings," said Thierry Tingaud, senior v-p entry solutions and connectivity division of ST-Ericsson.
"The frustration of waiting for your device to locate you will be a thing of the past once receivers can connect to both GPS and GLONASS satellites," said Tingaud.
Designed for low power the CG1950 enables continuous GNSS tracking for more than 30 hours with a standard 850mAh battery.
ST-Ericsson said the chip will be in commercial handsets by the third-quarter of 2011.