PCCW Global and UniStrong to link GNSS tech with telecoms, airports

PCCW and Unistrong will collaborate on developing GNSS technologies and services for the telecommunications and aviation industries.

PCCW Global is the international operating division of HKT, a Hong Kong telecommunications service provider. Beijing UniStrong Science and Technology Corporation Limited is a navigation and positioning company.

The collaboration intends to link satellite positioning to 5G mobile networks to provide positioning data accurate to within centimeters. The link will unlock new services for telecommunications providers rolling out new networks to support the internet of things (IoT), smart cities and the aviation industry.

UniStrong’s experience in developing high-precision products, solutions and services will enable PCCW Global to integrate new services with 5G mobile infrastructure, providing high-precision positioning (HPP) accurate down to centimeter levels.

This integration of precision positioning expertise and technologies has the potential to revolutionize industries such as commercial drone operations, autonomous vehicles and transportation, logistics, construction, agriculture and others.

New Airport Technology

The integration of technologies will also enable the provision of smart aviation solutions for airport authorities. Based on high-precision positioning and navigation technology, new airports will be able to leverage smart civil construction works that will facilitate safer and more efficient airport operations.

These aviation technologies will also be able to integrate with a wide variety of IoT sensors, edge-computing capabilities, machine vision and other artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to create intelligent surveillance platforms capable of managing and enhancing many aspects of airport safety and efficiency.

The installed base of GNSS devices in use globally is forecast to increase from 6.4 billion in 2019 to 9.6 billion in 2029, with Asia-Pacific continuing to account for more than half of the global GNSS market.

In terms of global annual GNSS receiver shipments, the market is forecast to grow from 1.8 billion units in 2019 to 2.8 billion units in 2029, according to the 2019 GNSS Market Report by the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency (GSA).

“As a global ICT service provider with extensive high speed fiber networks and cloud services coverage worldwide, we are delighted to cooperate with UniStrong with the aim to offer unique, game-changing solutions in Satellite High Precision Positioning (SHPP) and Continuous Operating Reference Station (CORS) solutions ideally suited to the new era of 5G, IoT and smart cities,” said Benney Cheng, head of Strategic Project and Development, PCCW Global.

“The cooperation between UniStrong and PCCW Global will further promote the development of professional solutions and applications that are oriented towards global users’ needs,” said Jun Shen, corporate vice president and chief scientist of UniStrong. “Based on GNSS technologies, and deeply integrated with communication technologies, Big Data, Industry 4.0, IoT, artificial intelligence and other technologies, these solutions will empower and influence more industries and countries, and promote BDS/GNSS global applications and international services worldwide.”

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