Fast communication networks are the 21st century drivers for the use of uncrewed systems and autonomous technologies. Nothing runs, drives or flies without them. This is why the expansion of 5G and satellite-based GNSS technologies play a key role in the safe determination of position, navigation and time data (PNT). A topic that is also in focus at XPONENTIAL Europe. The trade fair will be held at Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre from 18 to 20 February 2025.
It is smaller than a credit card, only five centimetres long and weighs less than 30 grams. But the signals it receives have come all the way from satellites in orbit. AsteRx-m3 Pro receives data from GNSS satellites located 20,000 kilometres away. The little receiver “picking up” the information with minimal delay is a GNSS Rover receiver. It is “multi-lingual” and capable of capturing all current satellite signals from American GPS, European Galileo, Japanese QZSS, Chinese BeiDou and other systems. This allows all types of uncrewed systems to be reliably positioned and controlled to the precision of a centimetre: drones in the air, construction and mining machinery, ground-based robots, robots for agricultural use, autonomous or remotely controlled vessels on the water and logistics systems in container ports.
AsteRx is manufactured by the Belgian company Septentrio, which is among the world-market leaders of GNSS component producers. 25 years ago the company was launched as a spin-off of the internationally renowned research institute for nanotechnology, imec, and developed the first receivers for the Galileo GNSS Programme. Since that time the company, whose name references the constellation of the Plough has been reaching for the stars itself. In addition to its headquarters in Leuven, near Brussels, it now operates subsidiaries around the world in Los Angeles, Shanghai, Seoul, Yokohama and Espoo in Finland.
5G and satellite communication at XPONENTIAL Europe
“We are very pleased to welcome companies such as Septentrio to Düsseldorf. Because PNT solutions – in conjunction with 5G technology – are the backbone of autonomous systems. This is why they form an integral part of XPONENTIAL Europe. Here components and network technologies have a firm place,” says Malte Seifert – who is the Director of Metals & Autonomous Technologies at Messe Düsseldorf and responsible for XPONENTIAL Europe to be held for the first time in Düsseldorf.
A total of 200 companies are exhibiting in Hall 1, 60% of them from abroad. Alongside Septentrio, in the segment of network and satellite communication these include international market leaders such as BAE Systems, Elbit Systems C4I and Cyber, Tualcom and Acal BFi Germany. Civilian use applications are centrestage.
Market for PNT solutions is booming worldwide
A booming market: because demand for PNT solutions that deliver high-precision and safe information on position, navigation and timing is developing very dynamically. The US market analyst GMI – Global Market Insights – expects market volume to multiply tenfold by 2032 based on 2022 volumes – from US$ 800 m recently to some eight billion dollars. The reason for this is the exponentially rising demand for secured PNT technologies, connected vehicles, drones and UAVs as well as for the control of Industry 4.0 manufacturing processes and V2X communication.
Vodafone, also exhibiting at XPONENTIAL Europe, will show just what is possible when combining 5G and GNSS. Since as far back as 1994 the Düsseldorf company has carried out research as part of its endowed chair for mobile messaging systems at the Technical University of Dresden. Three years ago a global research centre was added. Here a team of 200 researchers and scientific assistants work on developing further technologies such as 5G, 6G and OpenRAN – as well as on concrete applications in the areas of autonomous driving, connected agriculture, chemistry and construction.
Vodafone at XPONENTIAL Europe
A showcase project is the Aldenhoven Testing Center (ATC). This test field for autonomous mobility located near Aachen was equipped by Vodafone with network operations that are considered leading across Europe. Michael Bösinger, who is Head of Section Technology Innovation Development at Vodafone, underlines: “The radio spectrum and bandwidth we cover here are unique across Europe.” Here individual configurations are provided in addition to pre-defined standard configurations. To this end, GSM, LTE and NB IoT are available in addition to 5G in live network operation. This makes it possible – in conjunction with customer-specific ICT components and solutions – to create the required ecosystem for automotive and mobility applications and to control, monitor and evaluate it from the control centre.
In his words the future lies in the test philosophy of learning systems: “Lots will depend on us creating networks that are available for different transport modes under one roof,” says a confident Bösinger. And the multi-disciplinary trade fair XPONENTIAL Europe certainly makes an important contribution to this, he feels.
(Expert author: Dr. Mike Seidensticker)
