diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 2222702cd..97c618979 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -351,7 +351,10 @@ else()
 endif()
 set(GNSSSDR_MATIO_LOCAL_VERSION "1.5.23")
 set(GNSSSDR_PUGIXML_LOCAL_VERSION "1.13")
-set(GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION "21.9")
+set(GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION "22.2")
+if(CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING OR CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS "3.13")
+    set(GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION "21.12")
+endif()
 set(GNSSSDR_BENCHMARK_LOCAL_VERSION "1.7.1")
 set(GNSSSDR_MATHJAX_EXTERNAL_VERSION "2.7.7")
 
@@ -2341,6 +2344,7 @@ if(NOT MATIO_FOUND OR MATIO_VERSION_STRING VERSION_LESS ${GNSSSDR_MATIO_MIN_VERS
             PREFIX ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/matio
             GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/tbeu/matio
             GIT_TAG v${GNSSSDR_MATIO_LOCAL_VERSION}
+            UPDATE_COMMAND ""
             SOURCE_DIR ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/thirdparty/matio/matio-${GNSSSDR_MATIO_LOCAL_VERSION}
             BINARY_DIR ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/matio
             CMAKE_ARGS -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=${CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER}
@@ -2588,136 +2592,177 @@ if((NOT Protobuf_FOUND) OR (NOT Protobuf_PROTOC_EXECUTABLE) OR (${Protobuf_VERSI
             set(PROTOBUF_PROTOC_EXECUTABLE "${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/bin/protoc")
         endif()
     else()
-        if(${CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME} MATCHES "Linux|kFreeBSD|GNU")
-            if(NOT EXISTS "/usr/bin/libtoolize")
-                message(" libtool has not been found.")
-                message(" You can try to install it by typing:")
-                if(${LINUX_DISTRIBUTION} MATCHES "Fedora" OR ${LINUX_DISTRIBUTION} MATCHES "Red Hat")
-                    message(" sudo yum groupinstall 'Development Tools'")
-                elseif(${LINUX_DISTRIBUTION} MATCHES "openSUSE")
-                    message(" sudo zypper install libtoool")
+        if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER "3.13")
+            find_package(absl)
+            set_package_properties(absl PROPERTIES
+                URL "https://github.com/abseil/abseil-cpp"
+                PURPOSE "Abseil-cpp >= 20230117 required to be installed before building Protocol Buffers >22.x on the fly."
+                TYPE OPTIONAL
+            )
+            if(absl_FOUND)
+                if(absl_VERSION)
+                    if(${absl_VERSION} VERSION_LESS "20230117")
+                        unset(absl_FOUND CACHE)
+                        set(absl_FOUND OFF)
+                    endif()
                 else()
-                    message(" sudo apt-get install libtool")
+                    unset(absl_FOUND CACHE)
+                    set(absl_FOUND OFF)
                 endif()
-                message(FATAL_ERROR "libtool is required to build Protocol Buffers from source")
             endif()
-            if(EXISTS "/usr/bin/aclocal" OR
-                EXISTS "/usr/bin/aclocal-1.16" OR
-                EXISTS "/usr/bin/aclocal-1.15" OR
-                EXISTS "/usr/bin/aclocal-1.14" OR
-                EXISTS "/usr/bin/aclocal-1.13" OR
-                EXISTS "/usr/bin/aclocal-1.11" OR
-                EXISTS "/usr/bin/aclocal-1.10")
-                message(STATUS "Automake found.")
+            if(absl_FOUND)
+                set_package_properties(absl PROPERTIES
+                    DESCRIPTION "An open-source collection of C++ code designed to augment the C++ standard library (found: v${absl_VERSION})"
+                )
             else()
-                message(" aclocal has not been found.")
-                message(" You can try to install it by typing:")
-                if(${LINUX_DISTRIBUTION} MATCHES "Fedora" OR ${LINUX_DISTRIBUTION} MATCHES "Red Hat")
-                    message(" sudo yum groupinstall 'Development Tools'")
-                elseif(${LINUX_DISTRIBUTION} MATCHES "openSUSE")
-                    message(" sudo zypper install automake")
+                if(absl_VERSION)
+                    set_package_properties(absl PROPERTIES
+                        DESCRIPTION "An open-source collection of C++ code designed to augment the C++ standard library (found: v${absl_VERSION})"
+                    )
                 else()
-                    message(" sudo apt-get install automake")
+                    set_package_properties(absl PROPERTIES
+                        DESCRIPTION "An open-source collection of C++ code designed to augment the C++ standard library"
+                    )
                 endif()
-                message(FATAL_ERROR "aclocal is required to build Protocol Buffers from source")
+                message(STATUS "The Abseil library (https://github.com/abseil/abseil-cpp) >= v20230117 is required to be installed before building Protocol Buffers >22.x on the fly.")
+                message(STATUS " Instead, Protocol Buffers v21.12 will be built, which does not require Abseil.")
+                set(GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION "21.12")
             endif()
         endif()
-        if(${CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME} MATCHES "Darwin")
-            if((NOT EXISTS /usr/local/bin/glibtoolize AND NOT EXISTS /opt/local/bin/glibtoolize) OR
-                (NOT EXISTS /usr/local/bin/aclocal AND NOT EXISTS /opt/local/bin/aclocal))
-                message(" libtool/automake tools have not been found.")
-                message(" You can try to install them by typing:")
-                message(" 'sudo port install libtool automake', if you use Macports, or 'brew install libtool automake', if you use Homebrew")
-                message(FATAL_ERROR "libtool/automake tools are required to build Protocol Buffers from source")
+        if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS "3.13" OR NOT absl_FOUND)
+            if(${CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME} MATCHES "Linux|kFreeBSD|GNU")
+                if(NOT EXISTS "/usr/bin/libtoolize")
+                    message(" libtool has not been found.")
+                    message(" You can try to install it by typing:")
+                    if(${LINUX_DISTRIBUTION} MATCHES "Fedora" OR ${LINUX_DISTRIBUTION} MATCHES "Red Hat")
+                        message(" sudo yum groupinstall 'Development Tools'")
+                    elseif(${LINUX_DISTRIBUTION} MATCHES "openSUSE")
+                        message(" sudo zypper install libtoool")
+                    else()
+                        message(" sudo apt-get install libtool")
+                    endif()
+                    message(FATAL_ERROR "libtool is required to build Protocol Buffers from source")
+                endif()
+                if(EXISTS "/usr/bin/aclocal" OR
+                    EXISTS "/usr/bin/aclocal-1.16" OR
+                    EXISTS "/usr/bin/aclocal-1.15" OR
+                    EXISTS "/usr/bin/aclocal-1.14" OR
+                    EXISTS "/usr/bin/aclocal-1.13" OR
+                    EXISTS "/usr/bin/aclocal-1.11" OR
+                    EXISTS "/usr/bin/aclocal-1.10")
+                    message(STATUS "Automake found.")
+                else()
+                    message(" aclocal has not been found.")
+                    message(" You can try to install it by typing:")
+                    if(${LINUX_DISTRIBUTION} MATCHES "Fedora" OR ${LINUX_DISTRIBUTION} MATCHES "Red Hat")
+                        message(" sudo yum groupinstall 'Development Tools'")
+                    elseif(${LINUX_DISTRIBUTION} MATCHES "openSUSE")
+                        message(" sudo zypper install automake")
+                    else()
+                        message(" sudo apt-get install automake")
+                    endif()
+                    message(FATAL_ERROR "aclocal is required to build Protocol Buffers from source")
+                endif()
             endif()
-            if(CMAKE_GENERATOR STREQUAL Xcode)
-                if(EXISTS /opt/local/bin/glibtoolize OR EXISTS /opt/local/bin/aclocal)
-                    if(NOT EXISTS /usr/local/bin/glibtoolize OR NOT EXISTS /usr/local/bin/aclocal)
-                        message(" WARNING: libtool/automake binaries cannot be found by Xcode. Please do:")
-                        message("sudo ln -s /opt/local/bin/glibtoolize /usr/local/bin/")
-                        message("sudo ln -s /opt/local/bin/aclocal /usr/local/bin/")
-                        message("sudo ln -s /opt/local/bin/autom4te /usr/local/bin/")
-                        message("sudo ln -s /opt/local/bin/automake /usr/local/bin/")
-                        message("sudo ln -s /opt/local/bin/autoconf /usr/local/bin/")
-                        message("sudo ln -s /opt/local/bin/autoreconf /usr/local/bin/")
-                        message(FATAL_ERROR "libtool/automake tools cannot be found by Xcode")
+            if(${CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME} MATCHES "Darwin")
+                if((NOT EXISTS /usr/local/bin/glibtoolize AND NOT EXISTS /opt/local/bin/glibtoolize) OR
+                    (NOT EXISTS /usr/local/bin/aclocal AND NOT EXISTS /opt/local/bin/aclocal))
+                    message(" libtool/automake tools have not been found.")
+                    message(" You can try to install them by typing:")
+                    message(" 'sudo port install libtool automake', if you use Macports, or 'brew install libtool automake', if you use Homebrew")
+                    message(FATAL_ERROR "libtool/automake tools are required to build Protocol Buffers from source")
+                endif()
+                if(CMAKE_GENERATOR STREQUAL Xcode)
+                    if(EXISTS /opt/local/bin/glibtoolize OR EXISTS /opt/local/bin/aclocal)
+                        if(NOT EXISTS /usr/local/bin/glibtoolize OR NOT EXISTS /usr/local/bin/aclocal)
+                            message(" WARNING: libtool/automake binaries cannot be found by Xcode. Please do:")
+                            message("sudo ln -s /opt/local/bin/glibtoolize /usr/local/bin/")
+                            message("sudo ln -s /opt/local/bin/aclocal /usr/local/bin/")
+                            message("sudo ln -s /opt/local/bin/autom4te /usr/local/bin/")
+                            message("sudo ln -s /opt/local/bin/automake /usr/local/bin/")
+                            message("sudo ln -s /opt/local/bin/autoconf /usr/local/bin/")
+                            message("sudo ln -s /opt/local/bin/autoreconf /usr/local/bin/")
+                            message(FATAL_ERROR "libtool/automake tools cannot be found by Xcode")
+                        endif()
                     endif()
                 endif()
             endif()
-        endif()
 
-        set(PROTOBUF_MAKE_PROGRAM ${CMAKE_MAKE_PROGRAM})
-        if(PROTOBUF_MAKE_PROGRAM MATCHES "ninja" OR CMAKE_GENERATOR STREQUAL Xcode)
-            find_program(MAKE_EXECUTABLE make
-                PATHS
-                    /usr/bin
-                    /usr/local/bin
-            )
-            if(NOT MAKE_EXECUTABLE)
-                message(FATAL_ERROR "make is required to build Protocol Buffers from source.")
-            endif()
-            set(PROTOBUF_MAKE_PROGRAM ${MAKE_EXECUTABLE})
-        endif()
-        if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.2)
-            ExternalProject_Add(protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
-                PREFIX ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
-                GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf
-                GIT_TAG v${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
-                SOURCE_DIR ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/thirdparty/protobuf/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
-                BINARY_DIR ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
-                UPDATE_COMMAND ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/thirdparty/protobuf/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/autogen.sh
-                CONFIGURE_COMMAND ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/thirdparty/protobuf/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/configure --prefix=${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
-                BUILD_COMMAND ${PROTOBUF_MAKE_PROGRAM}
-                INSTALL_COMMAND ${PROTOBUF_MAKE_PROGRAM} DESTDIR= install
-            )
-        else()
-            if(CMAKE_MAKE_PROGRAM MATCHES "make")
-                include(ProcessorCount)
-                ProcessorCount(NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS)
-                if(NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS GREATER 1)
-                    set(PROTOBUF_PARALLEL_BUILD "-j${NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS}")
+            set(PROTOBUF_MAKE_PROGRAM ${CMAKE_MAKE_PROGRAM})
+            if(PROTOBUF_MAKE_PROGRAM MATCHES "ninja" OR CMAKE_GENERATOR STREQUAL Xcode)
+                find_program(MAKE_EXECUTABLE make
+                    PATHS
+                        /usr/bin
+                        /usr/local/bin
+                )
+                if(NOT MAKE_EXECUTABLE)
+                    message(FATAL_ERROR "make is required to build Protocol Buffers from source.")
                 endif()
+                set(PROTOBUF_MAKE_PROGRAM ${MAKE_EXECUTABLE})
+            endif()
+            if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.2)
+                ExternalProject_Add(protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
+                    PREFIX ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
+                    GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf
+                    GIT_TAG v${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
+                    SOURCE_DIR ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/thirdparty/protobuf/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
+                    BINARY_DIR ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
+                    UPDATE_COMMAND ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/thirdparty/protobuf/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/autogen.sh
+                    CONFIGURE_COMMAND ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/thirdparty/protobuf/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/configure --prefix=${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
+                    BUILD_COMMAND ${PROTOBUF_MAKE_PROGRAM}
+                    INSTALL_COMMAND ${PROTOBUF_MAKE_PROGRAM} DESTDIR= install
+                )
+            else()
+                if(CMAKE_MAKE_PROGRAM MATCHES "make")
+                    include(ProcessorCount)
+                    ProcessorCount(NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS)
+                    if(NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS GREATER 1)
+                        set(PROTOBUF_PARALLEL_BUILD "-j${NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS}")
+                    endif()
+                endif()
+                ExternalProject_Add(protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
+                    PREFIX ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
+                    GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf
+                    GIT_TAG v${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
+                    SOURCE_DIR ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/thirdparty/protobuf/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
+                    BINARY_DIR ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
+                    UPDATE_COMMAND ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/thirdparty/protobuf/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/autogen.sh
+                    CONFIGURE_COMMAND ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/thirdparty/protobuf/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/configure --prefix=${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
+                    BUILD_COMMAND ${PROTOBUF_MAKE_PROGRAM} ${PROTOBUF_PARALLEL_BUILD}
+                    INSTALL_COMMAND ${PROTOBUF_MAKE_PROGRAM} DESTDIR= install
+                    BUILD_BYPRODUCTS ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/lib/${CMAKE_FIND_LIBRARY_PREFIXES}protobuf${CMAKE_STATIC_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}
+                        ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/bin/protoc
+                )
             endif()
-            ExternalProject_Add(protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
-                PREFIX ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
-                GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf
-                GIT_TAG v${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
-                SOURCE_DIR ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/thirdparty/protobuf/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
-                BINARY_DIR ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
-                UPDATE_COMMAND ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/thirdparty/protobuf/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/autogen.sh
-                CONFIGURE_COMMAND ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/thirdparty/protobuf/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/configure --prefix=${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
-                BUILD_COMMAND ${PROTOBUF_MAKE_PROGRAM} ${PROTOBUF_PARALLEL_BUILD}
-                INSTALL_COMMAND ${PROTOBUF_MAKE_PROGRAM} DESTDIR= install
-                BUILD_BYPRODUCTS ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/lib/${CMAKE_FIND_LIBRARY_PREFIXES}protobuf${CMAKE_STATIC_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}
-                    ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/bin/protoc
-            )
-        endif()
 
-        if(NOT TARGET protobuf::protoc)
-            add_executable(protobuf::protoc IMPORTED)
-            add_dependencies(protobuf::protoc protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION})
+            if(NOT TARGET protobuf::protoc)
+                add_executable(protobuf::protoc IMPORTED)
+                add_dependencies(protobuf::protoc protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION})
+            endif()
+            unset(Protobuf_PROTOC_EXECUTABLE)
+            set(PROTOBUF_PROTOC_EXECUTABLE "${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/bin/protoc")
+            set_target_properties(protobuf::protoc PROPERTIES
+                IMPORTED_LINK_INTERFACE_LANGUAGES "CXX"
+                IMPORTED_LOCATION "${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/bin/protoc"
+                INTERFACE_LINK_LIBRARIES "${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/lib/${CMAKE_FIND_LIBRARY_PREFIXES}protoc${CMAKE_STATIC_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}"
+            )
+            file(MAKE_DIRECTORY ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/include)
+            if(NOT TARGET protobuf::libprotobuf)
+                add_library(protobuf::libprotobuf STATIC IMPORTED)
+                add_dependencies(protobuf::libprotobuf protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION})
+            endif()
+            set_target_properties(protobuf::libprotobuf PROPERTIES
+                IMPORTED_LINK_INTERFACE_LANGUAGES "CXX"
+                IMPORTED_LOCATION "${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/lib/${CMAKE_FIND_LIBRARY_PREFIXES}protobuf${CMAKE_STATIC_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}"
+                INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES "${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/include"
+                INTERFACE_LINK_LIBRARIES "${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/lib/${CMAKE_FIND_LIBRARY_PREFIXES}protobuf${CMAKE_STATIC_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}"
+            )
+            if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS "3.10")
+                set(Protobuf_PROTOC_EXECUTABLE ${PROTOBUF_PROTOC_EXECUTABLE})
+            endif()
+        else()  # CMake >= 3.13 and Abseil found
+            include(BuildProtobuf)
         endif()
-        unset(Protobuf_PROTOC_EXECUTABLE)
-        set(PROTOBUF_PROTOC_EXECUTABLE "${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/bin/protoc")
-        set_target_properties(protobuf::protoc PROPERTIES
-            IMPORTED_LINK_INTERFACE_LANGUAGES "CXX"
-            IMPORTED_LOCATION "${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/bin/protoc"
-            INTERFACE_LINK_LIBRARIES "${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/lib/${CMAKE_FIND_LIBRARY_PREFIXES}protoc${CMAKE_STATIC_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}"
-        )
-    endif()
-    file(MAKE_DIRECTORY ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/include)
-    if(NOT TARGET protobuf::libprotobuf)
-        add_library(protobuf::libprotobuf STATIC IMPORTED)
-        add_dependencies(protobuf::libprotobuf protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION})
-    endif()
-    set_target_properties(protobuf::libprotobuf PROPERTIES
-        IMPORTED_LINK_INTERFACE_LANGUAGES "CXX"
-        IMPORTED_LOCATION "${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/lib/${CMAKE_FIND_LIBRARY_PREFIXES}protobuf${CMAKE_STATIC_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}"
-        INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES "${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/include"
-        INTERFACE_LINK_LIBRARIES "${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/lib/${CMAKE_FIND_LIBRARY_PREFIXES}protobuf${CMAKE_STATIC_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}"
-    )
-    if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.10)
-        set(Protobuf_PROTOC_EXECUTABLE ${PROTOBUF_PROTOC_EXECUTABLE})
     endif()
     if(${Protobuf_VERSION} VERSION_LESS ${GNSSSDR_PROTOBUF_MIN_VERSION})
         if(NOT (${Protobuf_VERSION} EQUAL "0.0.0"))
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d3461edfb..19961ccab 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ This section describes how to set up the compilation environment in GNU/Linux or
 
 ## GNU/Linux
 
-- Tested distributions: Ubuntu 14.04 LTS and above; Debian 8.0 "jessie" and
+- Tested distributions: Ubuntu 14.04 LTS and above; Debian 9.0 "stretch" and
   above; Arch Linux; CentOS 7; Fedora 26 and above; OpenSUSE 42.3 and above.
 - Supported microprocessor architectures:
   - i386: Intel x86 instruction set (32-bit microprocessors).
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ packages.
 
 #### Debian / Ubuntu
 
-If you are using Debian 8, Ubuntu 14.10 or above, this can be done by copying
+If you are using Debian 9, Ubuntu 14.10 or above, this can be done by copying
 and pasting the following line in a terminal:
 
 ```
@@ -172,10 +172,9 @@ $ sudo apt-get install build-essential cmake git pkg-config libboost-dev libboos
        libprotobuf-dev protobuf-compiler python3-mako
 ```
 
-Please note that the required files from `libgtest-dev` were moved to
-`googletest` in Debian 9 "stretch" and Ubuntu 18.04 "bionic", and moved back
-again to `libgtest-dev` in Debian 10 "buster" and Ubuntu 18.10 "cosmic" (and
-above).
+Please note that the required files from `libgtest-dev` were named `googletest`
+in Debian 9 "stretch" and Ubuntu 18.04 "bionic", and renamed to `libgtest-dev`
+in Debian 10 "buster" and above.
 
 Since Ubuntu 21.04 Hirsute / Debian 11, the package `libcpu-features-dev` is
 also required.
@@ -195,10 +194,6 @@ In distributions older than Ubuntu 16.04 or Debian 9, `python3-mako` must be
 replaced by `python-mako`. For Ubuntu 14.04, you will need to add the package
 `python-six` to the list of dependencies.
 
-**Note for Debian 8 "jessie" users:** please see the note about `libmatio-dev`
-above. Install `libtool`, `automake` and `libhdf5-dev` instead. You will also
-need `python-six`.
-
 Once you have installed these packages, you can jump directly to
 [download the source code and build GNSS-SDR](#clone-gnss-sdrs-git-repository).
 
@@ -477,24 +472,14 @@ $ sudo ldconfig
 #### Install [Protocol Buffers](https://developers.google.com/protocol-buffers/ "Protocol Buffers' Homepage"), a portable mechanism for serialization of structured data
 
 GNSS-SDR requires Protocol Buffers v3.0.0 or later. If the packages that come
-with your distribution are older than that (_e.g._, Ubuntu 16.04 Xenial and
-Debian 8 Jessie came with older versions), then you will need to install it
-manually. First, install the dependencies:
+with your distribution are older than that (_e.g._, Ubuntu 16.04 Xenial came
+with an older versions), then you will need to install it manually:
 
 ```
-$ sudo apt-get install autoconf automake libtool curl make g++ unzip
-```
-
-and then:
-
-```
-$ git clone https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf.git
+$ git clone --recursive https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf.git
 $ cd protobuf
-$ git submodule update --init --recursive
-$ ./autogen.sh
-$ /configure
-$ make -j$(nproc)
-$ sudo make install
+$ cmake -DABSL_PROPAGATE_CXX_STD=ON -Dprotobuf_BUILD_TESTS=OFF .
+$ cmake --build --config Release --target install .
 $ sudo ldconfig
 ```
 
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/BuildProtobuf.cmake b/cmake/Modules/BuildProtobuf.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1009e419c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmake/Modules/BuildProtobuf.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,172 @@
+# GNSS-SDR is a Global Navigation Satellite System software-defined receiver.
+# This file is part of GNSS-SDR.
+#
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2023 C. Fernandez-Prades cfernandez(at)cttc.es
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+
+if(NOT GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION)
+    set(GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION "22.2")
+endif()
+
+if(NOT ZLIB_FOUND)
+    find_package(ZLIB)
+    set_package_properties(ZLIB PROPERTIES
+        URL "https://www.zlib.net/"
+        PURPOSE "Required to build Protocol Buffers."
+        TYPE REQUIRED
+    )
+    if(ZLIB_FOUND AND ZLIB_VERSION_STRING)
+        set_package_properties(ZLIB PROPERTIES
+            DESCRIPTION "A Massively Spiffy Yet Delicately Unobtrusive Compression Library (found: v${ZLIB_VERSION_STRING})"
+        )
+    else()
+        set_package_properties(ZLIB PROPERTIES
+            DESCRIPTION "A Massively Spiffy Yet Delicately Unobtrusive Compression Library"
+        )
+    endif()
+    if(ZLIB_FOUND)
+        set(ZLIB_LIBRARIES_ ${ZLIB_LIBRARIES})
+        set(USE_ZLIB -Dprotobuf_WITH_ZLIB=ON)
+    else()
+        set(ZLIB_LIBRARIES_ "")
+        set(USE_ZLIB -Dprotobuf_WITH_ZLIB=OFF)
+    endif()
+else()
+    set(ZLIB_LIBRARIES_ ${ZLIB_LIBRARIES})
+    set(USE_ZLIB -Dprotobuf_WITH_ZLIB=ON)
+endif()
+
+include(GNUInstallDirs)
+
+list(APPEND UTF8_LIBRARIES
+    ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR}/${CMAKE_STATIC_LIBRARY_PREFIX}utf8_validity${CMAKE_STATIC_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}
+    ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR}/${CMAKE_STATIC_LIBRARY_PREFIX}utf8_range${CMAKE_STATIC_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}
+)
+
+# Fix for GCC 13
+if(CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "GNU")
+    if(CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_VERSION VERSION_GREATER "12.99")
+        find_program(Patch_EXECUTABLE NAME patch PATHS ENV PATH)
+        if(NOT Patch_EXECUTABLE)
+            message(FATAL_ERROR "The patch command is not found. It is required to build Protocol Buffers. Please check your OS documentation and install the patch command.")
+        endif()
+        set(PROTOBUF_PATCH_COMMAND
+            cd ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/thirdparty/protobuf/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/src/google/protobuf/ &&
+            ${Patch_EXECUTABLE} ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/thirdparty/protobuf/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/src/google/protobuf/port.h < ${GNSSSDR_SOURCE_DIR}/src/tests/data/protobuf22.patch
+        )
+        # Patch only once
+        if(EXISTS ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/thirdparty/protobuf/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/src/google/protobuf/port.h)
+            set(PROTOBUF_PATCH_COMMAND "")
+        endif()
+    else()
+        set(PROTOBUF_PATCH_COMMAND "")
+    endif()
+else()
+    set(PROTOBUF_PATCH_COMMAND "")
+endif()
+
+ExternalProject_Add(protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
+    PREFIX ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
+    GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf
+    GIT_TAG v${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
+    GIT_PROGRESS ON
+    UPDATE_COMMAND ""
+    PATCH_COMMAND ${PROTOBUF_PATCH_COMMAND}
+    SOURCE_DIR ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/thirdparty/protobuf/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
+    BINARY_DIR ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
+    CMAKE_ARGS
+        -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=${CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER}
+        -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=${CMAKE_C_COMPILER}
+        -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=OFF
+        -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=$<$<CONFIG:Debug>:Debug>$<$<CONFIG:Release>:Release>$<$<CONFIG:RelWithDebInfo>:RelWithDebInfo>$<$<CONFIG:MinSizeRel>:MinSizeRel>$<$<CONFIG:NoOptWithASM>:Debug>$<$<CONFIG:Coverage>:Debug>$<$<CONFIG:O2WithASM>:RelWithDebInfo>$<$<CONFIG:O3WithASM>:RelWithDebInfo>$<$<CONFIG:ASAN>:Debug>
+        -DCMAKE_CXX_VISIBILITY_PRESET=hidden
+        -DCMAKE_VISIBILITY_INLINES_HIDDEN=1
+        -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}
+        -Dprotobuf_BUILD_TESTS=OFF
+        -Dprotobuf_ABSL_PROVIDER=package
+        ${USE_ZLIB}
+    BUILD_COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND}
+        "--build" "${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}"
+        "--config" $<$<CONFIG:Debug>:Debug>$<$<CONFIG:Release>:Release>$<$<CONFIG:RelWithDebInfo>:RelWithDebInfo>$<$<CONFIG:MinSizeRel>:MinSizeRel>$<$<CONFIG:NoOptWithASM>:Debug>$<$<CONFIG:Coverage>:Debug>$<$<CONFIG:O2WithASM>:RelWithDebInfo>$<$<CONFIG:O3WithASM>:RelWithDebInfo>$<$<CONFIG:ASAN>:Debug>
+        "--target" install
+    BUILD_BYPRODUCTS ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR}/${CMAKE_FIND_LIBRARY_PREFIXES}protobuf${CMAKE_STATIC_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}
+        ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/bin/protoc
+        ${ABSL_LIBRARIES}
+        ${UTF8_LIBRARIES}
+    INSTALL_COMMAND ""
+)
+
+file(MAKE_DIRECTORY ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/include)
+file(MAKE_DIRECTORY ${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR})
+
+if(${CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME} MATCHES "Darwin")
+    find_library(CoreFoundation CoreFoundation)
+else()
+    set(CoreFoundation "")
+endif()
+
+if(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE STREQUAL "Debug" OR CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE STREQUAL "ASAN")
+    set(DEBUG_POSTFIX d)
+else()
+    set(DEBUG_POSTFIX "")
+endif()
+
+set(PROTOBUF_ABSL_USED_TARGETS
+    absl::absl_check
+    absl::absl_log
+    absl::algorithm
+    absl::base
+    absl::bind_front
+    absl::bits
+    absl::btree
+    absl::cleanup
+    absl::cord
+    absl::core_headers
+    absl::debugging
+    absl::die_if_null
+    absl::dynamic_annotations
+    absl::flags
+    absl::flat_hash_map
+    absl::flat_hash_set
+    absl::function_ref
+    absl::hash
+    absl::layout
+    absl::log_initialize
+    absl::log_severity
+    absl::memory
+    absl::node_hash_map
+    absl::node_hash_set
+    absl::optional
+    absl::span
+    absl::status
+    absl::statusor
+    absl::strings
+    absl::synchronization
+    absl::time
+    absl::type_traits
+    absl::utility
+    absl::variant
+)
+
+if(NOT TARGET protobuf::libprotobuf)
+    add_library(protobuf::libprotobuf STATIC IMPORTED)
+    add_dependencies(protobuf::libprotobuf protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION})
+    set_target_properties(protobuf::libprotobuf PROPERTIES
+        IMPORTED_LINK_INTERFACE_LANGUAGES "CXX"
+        IMPORTED_LOCATION "${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR}/${CMAKE_FIND_LIBRARY_PREFIXES}protobuf${DEBUG_POSTFIX}${CMAKE_STATIC_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}"
+        INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES "${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/include"
+        INTERFACE_LINK_LIBRARIES "${ZLIB_LIBRARIES_};${CoreFoundation};${UTF8_LIBRARIES};${PROTOBUF_ABSL_USED_TARGETS};${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR}/${CMAKE_FIND_LIBRARY_PREFIXES}protobuf${CMAKE_STATIC_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}"
+    )
+endif()
+
+if(NOT TARGET protobuf::protoc)
+    add_executable(protobuf::protoc IMPORTED)
+    add_dependencies(protobuf::protoc protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION})
+    unset(Protobuf_PROTOC_EXECUTABLE)
+    set(PROTOBUF_PROTOC_EXECUTABLE "${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/bin/protoc")
+    set_target_properties(protobuf::protoc PROPERTIES
+        IMPORTED_LINK_INTERFACE_LANGUAGES "CXX"
+        IMPORTED_LOCATION "${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/bin/protoc"
+        INTERFACE_LINK_LIBRARIES "${GNSSSDR_BINARY_DIR}/protobuf-${GNSSSDR_PROTOCOLBUFFERS_LOCAL_VERSION}/${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR}/${CMAKE_FIND_LIBRARY_PREFIXES}protoc${CMAKE_STATIC_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}"
+    )
+endif()
diff --git a/docs/CHANGELOG.md b/docs/CHANGELOG.md
index aff709642..6f6430b13 100644
--- a/docs/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/docs/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -87,6 +87,14 @@ All notable changes to GNSS-SDR will be documented in this file.
   to CMake deactivates file downloading.
 - The `ENABLE_GENERIC_ARCH` building option was removed, simplifying the process
   of buiding the software in non-x86 processor architectures.
+- If the Protocol Buffers dependency is not found, it is downloaded, built and
+  statically linked at buiding time. If CMake >= 3.13 and the
+  [Abseil C++ libraries](https://github.com/abseil/abseil-cpp) >= 20230117 are
+  installed on your system, Protocol Buffers v22.2 will be used. If those
+  requirements are not met, Protocol Buffers v21.4 will be used instead
+  (requires autotools).
+- Since Debian 8 "Jessie", which enjoyed Long Term Support until the end of June
+  2020, is not anymore in the Debian official repositories, we drop its support.
 
 ### Improvements in Usability:
 
diff --git a/src/tests/data/protobuf22.patch b/src/tests/data/protobuf22.patch
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ac7dd27df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tests/data/protobuf22.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
+SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2023 Carles Fernandez-Prades <carles.fernandez@cttc.es>
+--- port.h	2023-03-31 11:40:38.000000000 +0100
++++ port.h	2023-03-31 11:56:49.000000000 +0100
+@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
+ 
+ #include <cassert>
+ #include <cstddef>
++#include <cstdint>
+ #include <new>
+ #include <string>
+ #include <type_traits>
\ No newline at end of file