Will the 1-bit GNSS receiver prevail?

In the context of satellite-based positioning, the problem of range-estimation with low resolution analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) is considered. While ADC with coarse output resolution degrades the positioning performance of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers, it´s simplicity allows to realize sampling at high spatial and temporal rates in an energy and hardware efficient way. Therefore, here the achievable range-estimation accuracy of GNSS receive systems with 1-bit ADC resolution, multiple antennas and high receive bandwidths is analyzed. For different scenarios, including multi-path propagation and the presence of broadband interference, we investigate the scaling behavior of the estimation performance when increasing the number of receive antennas or the sampling rate. Results for all considered scenarios show that if a moderately higher number of antennas or a moderately faster temporal rate is used, 1-bit GNSS receive systems have the potential to outperform ideal receivers with infinite ADC resolution. This insight emphasizes that a receiver architecture with 1-bit ADC has the potential to play an important role for future low-cost receivers as well as for sophisticated energy efficient high-performance GNSS systems.