Spirent and Qascom Collaborate to Offer Commercially Available OSNMA Simulation Tools

September 23, 2021

News

SimOSNMA provides vital test tools for Galileo’s emerging end-to-end security protocol.

Spirent Communications plc and Qascom announced the industry’s first simulation test solution for the Galileo Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) mechanism. SimOSNMA is designed to work with Spirent’s GNSS simulation platforms to test OSNMA signal conformance, which will bring robustness for both civilian and commercial GNSS uses.

SimOSNMA provides developers with simulation tools to test for OSNMA, the security protocol which enables GNSS receivers to verify the authenticity of signals distributed from the Galileo satellite constellation. Designed to combat signal falsification, or “spoofing,” OSNMA ensures the data received is authentic and has not been modified in any way. It is currently completing the test phase before its formal launch, and SimOSNMA enables developers to simulate and test OSNMA signals and features, allowing GNSS receiver manufacturers and application developers to accelerate and assure development programs.

Qascom has been a significant contributor to the development of Galileo OSNMA, helping to create the main test vectors for early testing and leading the Position Authenticated Tachograph for OSNMA Launch (PATROL) project, which is the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) procurement looking at the implementation of OSNMA into automotive and mass-market GNSS receivers. The combination of Qascom's and Spirent's expertise will provide developers with a head start in adopting and using the new OSNMA capabilities.

Since the inception of the Galileo project, Spirent has provided simulation and test capabilities to many organizations and projects responsible for development of the European Space Agency (ESA) program.

For more information, visit Spirent.