Smart Antennas and Positioning

Smart antennas have to be justified primarily on the basis of their link gain budgets
and better selectivity and sensitivity. However, they also deliver directivity, and this
can be used to acquire positioning information; the more directivity available, the better
(more accurate) the positioning. Discussions continue as to whether positioning
provided from satellites or positioning provided from the terrestrial network is preferable
operationally and economically.
At time of writing, Galileo has just received confirmation of European Union funding.
The 30 satellites have an orbit optimized for European coverage (relatively high in
the sky in terms of elevation) to provide a good viewing angle (shortest distance
through the atmosphere) for users in urban or rural locations. Location accuracy is
claimed to be within one meter.