Combain 5G Positioning Engine – Advanced 5G Location Management
The Combain 5G Positioning Engine is a state-of-the-art location calculation engine designed as a 5G Location Management Function (LMF) within Druid Software’s Raemis 4G/5G core platform, tailored explicitly for private networks. Leveraging the advanced capabilities of 5G technology, this engine delivers precise, real-time indoor and outdoor positioning, making it ideal for a wide array of applications.
How it works
The Combain 5G Positioning Engine calculates device locations by leveraging multiple 5G-based positioning methods integrated into the 5G core network. These methods include:
- Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) – Measures signal arrival times at multiple base stations to determine location.
- Round Trip Time (RTT) and Multi-Cell RTT – Uses time delay measurements for precise distance calculations.
- Angle of Arrival (AoA) and Angle of Departure (AoD) – Determines directionality using multi-antenna arrays.
- 5G Positioning Reference Signals (PRS) and Sounding Reference Signals (SRS) – Provides enhanced positioning accuracy, especially in dense environments.
The Combain 5G Positioning Engine processes these signals within the 5G LMF, applies advanced location algorithms, and delivers real-time position data to applications and services.
For devices moving outside a private network, the engine seamlessly integrates with Combain’s global Cell ID and Indoor WiFi/Bluetooth positioning database, ensuring continuous tracking without the need for GNSS.
Key Features
- Precise Location: The LMF provides accurate location information in real-time, with an average accuracy of less than 1 meter. This makes it suitable for use in indoor and outdoor environments, providing precise location tracking for people, vehicles, and assets.
- Low Latency: With 5G networks, the LMF provides extremely low latency and real-time location information, making it ideal for real-time applications such as vehicle tracking and safety alerts.
- Increased Capacity: The LMF can support a large number of devices and users, making it suitable for use in large-scale deployments such as smart cities, campus networks, and industrial parks.
- Integration with Other Systems: Druid’s Raemis platform allows the LMF to easily integrate with other systems, such as inventory systems and existing location-based services, providing a seamless user experience. Combain also offers an IoT asset-tracking system, Traxmate, to create a complete asset-tracking solution for Private Networks. Read more at www.traxmate.io.
- Global Positioning Option: If the devices roam outside the private network, the LMF can seamlessly track them globally using Combain’s other positioning services.
Advantages of 5G Positioning over 4G
The positioning accuracy is vastly improved in 5G with new features defined in 3GPP Release 16. Here are just some of the improvements:
- New positioning methods. 4G mainly uses time difference of arrival (TDOA). At the same time, 5G has added new methods such as uplink TDOA and multi-cell round trip time (Multi RTT), removing the requirement for very accurately synchronized base stations.
- A larger bandwidth, 100/400MHz vs. 20MHz, reduces symbol time and enhances the measured time of flight between the base station and the device for both TDOA and RTT measurements.
- New reference signals have been introduced for 5G: a positioning reference signal (PRS) in the downlink and a sounding reference signal (SRS) for the uplink. These signals provide higher accuracy, coverage, and interference avoidance.
- Multiple antennas. There are 5G supports for both angle of arrival (AoA) and angle of departure (AoD) measurements. These are not so accurate in today’s first base station antennas, but positioning accuracy will improve with future massive MIMO antennas.
The LMF plays a crucial role in 5G networks, enabling various location-based services and efficiently managing a device’s location. The 5G positioning engine will also support 4G positioning as part of the E-SMLC in Druid’s Raemis 4G core platform. In 4G, the accuracy is in the 50m range.
Expected Accuracy
The Combain 5G Positioning Engine is engineered to deliver sub-meter accuracy in well-calibrated environments. Utilizing TDOA, Multi-RTT, and PRS signals can achieve an accuracy of less than one meter for indoor settings and centimeter-level precision outdoors under optimal network conditions. This capability makes it a strong alternative to GNSS, particularly in urban canyons, dense industrial areas, and indoor facilities where satellite signals have difficulty penetrating.
Several factors influence accuracy, including the density of network infrastructure, the number of synchronized base stations, antenna configurations, and environmental interference. With the upcoming deployment of massive MIMO technology in 5G, we anticipate a significant improvement in positioning accuracy, reducing latency and minimizing error margins.
Implementation Costs
The cost of implementing the Combain 5G Positioning Engine depends on several factors, including the size of the network, the existing hardware infrastructure, and the required level of positioning accuracy.
- Existing 5G Private Network: If a private 5G network is already operational—such as in smart factories or industrial campuses—integrating the 5G Location Management Function (LMF) requires minimal additional investment. The positioning engine is software-based and can utilize existing base stations.
- New Deployments: Companies establishing 5G positioning from the ground up will incur costs for 5G core integration, additional base stations to enhance accuracy, and calibration efforts. Higher network density typically results in improved accuracy, but it also leads to increased initial capital expenditures.
- Cloud vs. On-Premises Deployment: The Combain 5G Positioning Engine can be deployed on-premises—suitable for data-sensitive industries such as defense, healthcare, and critical infrastructure—or a cloud-based service. The latter option reduces the need for costly on-site maintenance.
- Operational Costs: Ongoing expenses include network management, software updates, and potential expansions. However, since 5G positioning eliminates the need for additional GNSS receivers, companies can lower hardware costs while increasing location accuracy and maintaining low latency.
Use Cases
- Asset Tracking: The LMF is ideal for tracking the location of assets such as containers, equipment, and inventory in real-time.
- Industry 4.0: The LMF can be used in industrial parks to track the location of vehicles and assets, improving efficiency.
- Security & Emergency Services: The LMF can be used by security personnel to locate people and assets in real time for improved safety.
- Campus Networks: The LMF can be used to create smart campuses, provide real-time location information for vehicles, people, and assets, and create new location-based services.
The Future of Location Tracking with 5G
The Combain 5G Positioning Engine transforms location intelligence for private networks through high precision, low latency, and seamless integration. Whether for smart factories, autonomous systems, or critical safety applications, 5G positioning represents the next generation of solutions for real-time tracking.
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Installed on your serversKeep your own location data safe
High performance for high volume and low latency
Enhanced accurate indoor positioning with global positioning option when roaming
Summary
- Positioning engine for 5G networks
- <1m* accuracy with new 5G positioning methods
- Global positioning option when roaming
- Ideal for private networks together with Druid’s Raemis 5G core
* Actual accuracy depends on
- density of network infrastructure
- number of synchronized base stations
- antenna configurations
- environmental interference