UK carrier Vodafone announces a new positioning system with centimeter-level accuracy

Have you ever forgotten where you parked your car? If you have, don't worry; you are not the only one. To prevent situations like these, you can use Google Maps, for example, and mark the exact location of your vehicle. But here again, you might forget to save your parking spot. However, UK carrier Vodafone may soon give you a new, better way to find forgotten or lost things like your car or Internet of Things devices.

As the carrier announced in a new press release, it partnered with Topcon Positioning Group to create a new positioning system, which will be able to locate and monitor IoT devices, vehicles, scooters, and machines like robot lawn mowers with an accuracy of just centimeters. The only requirement for these devices will be to be connected to Vodafone's global IoT network, which, according to the carrier, is comprised of 150 million devices and covers 12 European countries.

But how will the carrier be able to do that? Well, as Vodafone explained, its global IoT network will use technology made by Topcon, which will correct inaccuracies in navigation satellite signals. The network also has access to Topcon's European grid of many GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) reference stations, and if a device or vehicle has a suitable antenna and receiver equipment, the accuracy won't be a few meters but just centimeters.

The new service from Vodafone will bear the name "Vodafone GNSS Corrections," and as the company revealed in its press release, customer trials are about to begin. Starting this month, select customers will be able to test Vodafone GNSS Corrections in Germany, Spain, and the UK by using different devices, all connected to Vodafone's global IoT network.

Justin Shields, Director of Vodafone Business Platforms & Solutions, stated that Vodafone customers want to be able to locate their devices more easily, and the new collaboration with Topcon "complements" Vodafone's "existing asset tracking and fleet telematics solutions."