Time to First Fix Robustness of Global Navigation Satellite Systems: Comparison Study
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The time to first fix (TTFF) measures the time elapsed by a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver from switch-on to provision of a navigation solution. This parameter is crucial for applications where a position, within an acceptable error, is needed as soon as possible after turning the device on. The quality of the TTFF depends mainly on the receiver, the environment, and the GNSS satellites employed. Although all four available GNSSs (BeiDou, Galileo, GLONASS, and GPS) are complementary, their constellations and signals differ, providing different TTFF performances. This becomes even more relevant in hostile environments, where the TTFF degrades from nominal results. In this work, the robustness of the signals of the four GNSSs against different levels of harshness and its influence on the TTFF performance are evaluated in a comparative way. For this purpose, a typical scenario for mass-market GNSS applications, involving cold-start conditions, single-frequency signals, and a low-cost receiver, is considered. The results indicate that GPS provides the most robust TTFF, followed by GLONASS (although at the expense of positioning accuracy), BeiDou, and Galileo, in that order.
Source: Sensors
DOI: 10.3390/s25051599
Institution: Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial
Language: English
Subfield: Aerospace Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,137
OpenAlex ID: W4408219331