More about AGPS and costs

[Robert Michel]

Salve Sean!

On Tue, 28 Nov 2006, Sean Moss-Pultz wrote:

> Global Locate told me that they think the GPS costs are as follows:
> 
> * MS-A - data time (operator) + Server charges (not clear who runs the
> server.)
> 
> * MS-B - data time (operator) + Server charges (not clear who runs the
> server.)

Instead of data *time* could it date *quantity* (used via GPRS) 

AFAIK are there some server where it is possible to get the "assisted"
data from - at the moment as "pilot project" for free. I will read more
about this and explain it better that this:

I think the "assisted" data is just the the data stream from the GPS
satellites that singal is to low to be able to recieve inside buildings.
Second the data rate of this data broadcasting is so low that a GPS
cold start tooks so long - AGPS could speed this up.

So by parking your car with a gps reciver, computer and Wifi and a
Neo1973 with AGPS and wifi could allow you to use AGPS in the range
of wifi.
Damm to late I will write tomorrow morning about the data rates that 
cause due AGPS using and more about the server.

Short I think there is an open format to excange this assisted GPS
data and AFAIK a modificed icecast software is used to distributed
this data stream. I have the impression that the EU/German goverment
encourage the mobile network operator to set up such server themself
and offer the data for free (beside the traffic cost).

Considering that there is a specification inside the GSM protocoll to
get the accurate date and time via GSM, and Nokia has implemented this
feature in their phones but *no* german GSM provider provide the date
and time¹ - I fear they will like to get money for this as well, instead
of winning new clients with that service.

But the good news - AFAIK could we run our own server and the next time
even no GPS hardware would be needed to feed this server ;)
So I plaining to try to run a agps openmoko server myself.

Sean I just want you to ask your AGPS experts - when you have to
ask externaly e.g. open local - you could wait a day for me doing
a bit more research:
"Would be a RTCM 2.3 Typ 17 stream enough for AGPS?"
"Would the binary from gobal locate allows to define an own routings to
 a server?"
"Would it be possible to run an own server (runnnig open software)?"

Cheers,
rob




==FUN==
¹Some fun - inside a shop of the German telecom was a long row - 5
people were before me. A woman with head and hand pocked in the same
green (imagine that she behaves like the British Queen) was asking
why her phones abroad has been so expensive (she had the "cheapest"
pre-paid tariff). Then she asked "oh could you please set the clock
of the mobile once again - it is already wrong again."
:))))
ONCE AGAIN??? Hello Germen Telecom, every body should go into your
shop and ask for setting up the clock - it is unbeleavable that
this is not supported - I think that there is some economic person
saying without this feature some people need to call our very expensive
time announcement number...
Hey on the long term, users asking the service to set up the time,
or asking how to use the Nokia function - or just been angry about
this phone to set up the time again (and doing one phonecall less
because having a bad emotion about the phone) - on the long term
the trick with the time annoucement number doesn't matter 
or the profit could even lower....

This missing time feature mades me angry - so I tried to programm
a solution with J2ME - but Siemens didn't allow to set the time via Java
(was this a which of the network provider?) - probably it was Siemens
too, building the GSM networks in Germany without time signals.
:(((

So I had to wait for the Neo1973 where I programm what I like and
where I can use
- ntp
- GPS
to set my time automaticaly like on my PC and servers.
:)))))))))