NavIC - What is India's GPS Substitute? What You Need to Know

September 28, 2022 By Jozeph P

(Image Credit Google)

The Indian government is urging major smartphone manufacturers to include support for the local navigation system, NavIC, on smartphones sold in the nation starting next year. Because of the short time frame and significant expenditures involved, this move is claimed to have shaken up the business. According to Reuters (opens in new tab), the Indian government is pressuring smartphone manufacturers to include NavIC functionality on handsets sold in India beginning in January 2023. The increased expenses and development of the items involved, as well as the tight time frame, have unsettled smartphone giants such as Samsung, Xiaomi, and Apple. Let's take a look at what NavIC is and what you need to know about it.

What is NavIC?

ISRO's NavIC, or Navigation with Indian Constellation, is a navigation satellite system that became operational in 2018. NavIC

It is a navigation system that covers the whole of India up to 1500 kilometers outside its borders. It is a localized alternative to the United States GPS navigation system. It comprises eight satellites located roughly 36,000 kilometers above sea level. Three satellites are in geostationary orbit, while the remaining five are in inclined geosynchronous orbit. Five more satellites are scheduled to be launched. NavIC functions similarly to GPS. It has an accuracy of more than 10m in India and better than 10m in the Indian Ocean. NavIC, on the other hand, has a limited use case and is mostly utilized for public vehicle tracking. Additionally, for giving emergency warning messages to fishermen at sea, as well as tracking and reporting on natural disasters. The Indian government now wants to expand its use by including it in more cell phones.

GPS vs NavIC

The widely used navigation system, GPS, competes directly with NavIC. GPS vs NavIC

The primary distinction between NavIC and GPS is the operating range. GPS is available worldwide, whereas NavIC is only available in India and adjacent territories. There are plans to make NavIC available all across the world in the future. GPS has a considerably superior satellite network because it is available worldwide and must cover a much larger region. It has 31 operational satellites, compared to NavIC's 8. In contrast to the two types of satellites employed by NavIC, all of these satellites are geosynchronous. The precision of both NavIC and GPS for civilians is 20 meters, therefore you won't get any better accuracy. Some smartphones with NavIC were released in 2020, including the Realme X50 Pro, iQoo 3, Realme 6 series, and Redmi Note 9 series. However, once the initial NavIC hype had worn off, no company bothered to release any new devices with NavIC support. GPS vs NavIC

With the Indian government's current push, we should expect to see NavIC support in a more number of handsets.

Why is India promoting NavIC?

NavIC is intended to lessen reliance on GPS and other foreign satellite systems, particularly in strategic industries.' Because these foreign satellite systems are operated by defense agencies from other countries, they may not always be reliable. It is probable that the service will be denied in the future. NavIC

NavlC is an Indian-controlled indigenous positioning system. In a particular case, there is no chance of the service being withdrawn or refused.", the government of India stated in a news statement. India is currently pushing towards NavIC to lessen reliance on other navigation systems.

By Jozeph P

Journalism explorer, tech Enthusiast. Love to read and write.

NavIC - What is India's GPS Substitute? What You Need to Know

What is NavIC?

GPS vs NavIC

Why is India promoting NavIC?

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