PHY Wireless Unveils Ultra‑Low‑Power, High‑Accuracy LTE/5G Location IP for IoT

PHY Wireless, a newly independent spin‑out from Acorn Technologies, is launching a suite of intellectual property (IP) cores that enable precise location services on LTE and 5G networks. The company’s flagship product line, the hellaPHY core, is engineered to deliver sub‑30 meter accuracy while consuming far less power than traditional GNSS solutions.

Targeting a wide range of customers—including carriers, chipmakers, IoT module manufacturers, application service providers, and end‑users—PHY Wireless offers scalable, low‑cost positioning solutions that meet FCC E‑911 mandates and improve spectral efficiency by up to 60% for OFDM‑based systems.

“After years of focused R&D under Acorn Technologies, we now bring a commercial‑ready portfolio to market,” says CEO Tom Horgan. “Our design‑win momentum, strong relationships with tier‑one operators, and clear launch plans position us to capture the fastest‑growing segment of mobile positioning.”

Sequans Communications, a leading LTE chip and module provider, was an early adopter of hellaPHY IP cores in 2016, demonstrating the technology’s viability in real‑world products.

The hellaPHY core

The core is an optimized DSP/RTL block that can be integrated into software‑defined radios (SDR) or ASICs. It offers advanced channel estimation, fine timing, Doppler, noise covariance, and time‑of‑arrival (ToA) estimation, outperforming competing LTE positioning solutions in 3GPP RSTD simulations.

Designed for the most demanding IoT scenarios, the IP core features a minimal footprint, requiring the least network interaction and device power available on the market. This translates to significant cost, power, and performance benefits for LPWAN IoT deployments.

Key technical advantages include:

• Power Efficiency: 60× less power than GNSS and 6× less than cloud‑based UE‑assisted positioning.
• Fast Time‑to‑First‑Fix: Sub‑second TTFF allows devices to remain in deep sleep longer, extending battery life.
• Sub‑30 m Accuracy: Demonstrated in dense urban, suburban, and rural environments, even when eNodeB signals are 12 km away.
• Security: Built‑in processor security features protect both the position calculation and the device’s location data, reducing the risk of large‑scale breaches.
• Spectral Efficiency: Up to 60% improvement for LTE/5G OFDM systems.

“Location accuracy is vital, but for IoT devices the trifecta of power, cost, and speed to first fix is even more critical,” Horgan added. “hellaPHY LOC eliminates the need for Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth, or GNSS, and removes the dependence on costly third‑party lookup tables.”

PHY Wireless is headquartered in California and is actively seeking external investment to accelerate commercialization and broaden its customer base.