{"id":137,"date":"2026-07-12T13:35:33","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T08:05:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elogs.in\/blog\/?p=137"},"modified":"2026-07-12T19:25:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T13:55:01","slug":"global-satellite-navigation-systems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elogs.in\/blog\/global-satellite-navigation-systems\/","title":{"rendered":"Six Countries, Six Satellite Systems: The Global Race to Own the Sky"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/elogs.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/global-satellite-navigation-system-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Global satellite navigation systems diagram showing GPS (USA), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo (Europe), BeiDou (China), and NavIC (India) orbiting Earth\" class=\"wp-image-140\" srcset=\"https:\/\/elogs.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/global-satellite-navigation-system-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/elogs.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/global-satellite-navigation-system-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/elogs.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/global-satellite-navigation-system-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/elogs.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/global-satellite-navigation-system-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/elogs.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/global-satellite-navigation-system.jpg 1672w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is a quiet race happening 20,000 kilometres above your head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Six countries or regions have built their own satellite navigation systems. Each one can tell you exactly where you are on Earth. And each one exists, at least in part, because the country that built it decided it could not afford to trust anyone else&#8217;s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the story of each of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/elogs.in\/blog\/global-satellite-navigation-systems\/#United_States_GPS_The_Original\" >United States: GPS, The Original<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/elogs.in\/blog\/global-satellite-navigation-systems\/#Russia_GLONASS_Built_in_the_Cold_War\" >Russia: GLONASS, Built in the Cold War<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/elogs.in\/blog\/global-satellite-navigation-systems\/#Europe_Galileo_Built_for_Independence\" >Europe: Galileo, Built for Independence<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/elogs.in\/blog\/global-satellite-navigation-systems\/#China_BeiDou_From_Regional_to_Global\" >China: BeiDou, From Regional to Global<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/elogs.in\/blog\/global-satellite-navigation-systems\/#India_NavIC_Born_from_a_War\" >India: NavIC, Born from a War<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/elogs.in\/blog\/global-satellite-navigation-systems\/#Japan_QZSS_The_Quiet_Achiever\" >Japan: QZSS, The Quiet Achiever<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/elogs.in\/blog\/global-satellite-navigation-systems\/#The_Country_You_Should_Watch_South_Korea\" >The Country You Should Watch: South Korea<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/elogs.in\/blog\/global-satellite-navigation-systems\/#Why_Does_This_Matter\" >Why Does This Matter?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/elogs.in\/blog\/global-satellite-navigation-systems\/#Frequently_Asked_Questions\" >Frequently Asked Questions<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"United_States_GPS_The_Original\"><\/span>United States: GPS, The Original<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Launched:<\/strong> 1978 (fully operational 1995)<br><strong>Satellites:<\/strong> 31<br><strong>Coverage:<\/strong> Global<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The US military built GPS during the Cold War, and its original purpose had nothing to do with getting you to a restaurant. It was designed to guide missiles, track submarines, and coordinate troops across battlefields with precision that maps and radio could never provide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For its first decade, GPS was purely military. When the Soviet Union shot down Korean Air Flight 007 in 1983 after it strayed into restricted airspace due to a navigation error, President Reagan announced that GPS would eventually be opened to civilian use so that tragedies like that could be avoided. It took another decade, but GPS was made fully available to the public in 1995.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There was a catch, however. The US military built in a feature called Selective Availability, which deliberately scrambled the civilian signal to give an accuracy of only about 100 metres. The military kept the precise signal for itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On May 1, 2000, President Clinton switched Selective Availability off permanently. Overnight, civilian GPS accuracy jumped from 100 metres to around 10 metres. The world changed instantly. Within a few years, GPS navigation became standard in cars, then phones, then everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today GPS is so embedded in global infrastructure that a failure of the system would affect not just navigation but banking (timestamps on transactions), telecommunications, and power grids. The world runs on American satellites whether it knows it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Russia_GLONASS_Built_in_the_Cold_War\"><\/span>Russia: GLONASS, Built in the Cold War<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Launched:<\/strong> 1982 (fully operational 1995)<br><strong>Satellites:<\/strong> 24<br><strong>Coverage:<\/strong> Global<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Soviet Union was not going to let the Americans have space-based navigation to themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">GLONASS, which stands for Globalnaya Navigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema (Global Navigation Satellite System), began development in the 1970s and launched its first satellite in 1982. It reached full global coverage the same year as GPS, in 1995.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then the Soviet Union collapsed, and so did GLONASS. Russia in the 1990s could not afford to maintain and replace ageing satellites. By the early 2000s, the constellation had degraded to fewer than 10 functioning satellites, making it effectively useless for global navigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vladimir Putin ordered its revival in 2001 as a matter of national priority. Russia spent years rebuilding the constellation, and by 2011 GLONASS was fully restored to global coverage with 24 satellites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today most smartphones and vehicle trackers receive both GPS and GLONASS signals simultaneously. More satellites overhead at any moment means faster location fixes and better accuracy, especially in cities where buildings block parts of the sky. GLONASS uses a slightly different orbital arrangement from GPS, which means the two systems complement each other well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Europe_Galileo_Built_for_Independence\"><\/span>Europe: Galileo, Built for Independence<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Launched:<\/strong> 2016 (initial services), 2019 (full operations)<br><strong>Satellites:<\/strong> 28 operational<br><strong>Coverage:<\/strong> Global<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Europe&#8217;s relationship with GPS has always been complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For decades, European governments and businesses relied entirely on an American military system over which they had no control. If the US decided to degrade or switch off the civilian signal for any reason, Europe had no alternative. That was an uncomfortable position for a major economic bloc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Negotiations to join the US GPS programme as a partner went nowhere. So Europe built its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Galileo is operated by the European Union and the European Space Agency, and it is the only major satellite navigation system built entirely for civilian use from the start. It has no military origins and no selective degradation of the civilian signal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The result is that Galileo offers the most precise publicly available navigation signal in the world, with accuracy better than 1 metre under open-sky conditions for users with compatible receivers. Standard GPS accuracy is 3 to 5 metres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Galileo has had its share of problems. In July 2019, the entire system went offline for four days due to a ground infrastructure failure at a control centre in Italy. It was the most significant outage in the history of satellite navigation and prompted a major review of backup systems. The system has operated reliably since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most modern smartphones receive Galileo signals alongside GPS, and the combination makes urban navigation noticeably more accurate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"China_BeiDou_From_Regional_to_Global\"><\/span>China: BeiDou, From Regional to Global<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Launched:<\/strong> 2000 (regional), 2020 (global)<br><strong>Satellites:<\/strong> 35<br><strong>Coverage:<\/strong> Global<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">China&#8217;s approach to satellite navigation was methodical and deliberate. Rather than attempting a full global system immediately, China built in three phases over 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BeiDou-1, launched in 2000, covered only China. BeiDou-2, completed in 2012, expanded to the Asia-Pacific region. BeiDou-3, completed in June 2020, reached every corner of the globe with 35 satellites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With 35 satellites, BeiDou now has the largest constellation of any navigation system. More satellites in orbit means more redundancy and better performance in challenging environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BeiDou has one feature that no other navigation system offers: short message communication. Users in remote areas with a BeiDou receiver can send text messages of up to 1,000 Chinese characters directly via satellite, without a mobile network. This has proven valuable for maritime users, disaster relief operations, and anyone working in areas without phone coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">China&#8217;s motivation for building BeiDou was partly strategic, partly economic. By 2020, China had the world&#8217;s largest fleet of road vehicles, ships, and logistics operations. Depending on American satellites for all of that infrastructure was not something Beijing was willing to accept long-term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BeiDou is now mandatory in many Chinese government and military applications, and it is increasingly used across Southeast Asia, Africa, and countries participating in China&#8217;s Belt and Road Initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"India_NavIC_Born_from_a_War\"><\/span>India: NavIC, Born from a War<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Launched:<\/strong> 2016 (regional operations)<br><strong>Satellites:<\/strong> 7<br><strong>Coverage:<\/strong> India and surrounding region up to 1,500 km<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">India&#8217;s satellite navigation system has the most dramatic origin story of them all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1999, India and Pakistan were at war in the Kargil region of Kashmir. Indian forces needed precise positioning data to conduct operations in the high-altitude mountain terrain. India requested access to accurate GPS data from the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The request was refused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">India was fighting a war on its own soil and could not get positioning data from an ally because the ally chose not to provide it. The experience was a turning point. India&#8217;s then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee reportedly said that India would build its own GPS. ISRO began work on NavIC shortly after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) uses 7 satellites in orbits designed specifically to provide continuous coverage over India and a buffer zone extending 1,500 km beyond its borders. This includes South Asia, the Arabian Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean, covering the regions of most strategic and commercial importance to India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Accuracy over the Indian subcontinent is better than 5 metres, and in some conditions NavIC outperforms standard GPS because more of its satellites are positioned to cover India specifically rather than being spread across a global orbit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NavIC is now integrated into India&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/elogs.in\/blog\/ais-140-gps-tracking-standard-india\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/elogs.in\/blog\/ais-140-gps-tracking-standard-india\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">AIS 140 vehicle tracking standard<\/a>, which mandates that all public service vehicles, commercial transport, and school buses carry certified GPS tracking devices that support NavIC alongside GPS. This ensures that India&#8217;s fleet tracking infrastructure runs on Indian satellites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Japan_QZSS_The_Quiet_Achiever\"><\/span>Japan: QZSS, The Quiet Achiever<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Launched:<\/strong> 2010 (first satellite), 2018 (operational)<br><strong>Satellites:<\/strong> 4<br><strong>Coverage:<\/strong> Japan and Asia-Pacific<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Japan&#8217;s system is the least well-known of the six, which is surprising given how technically impressive it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">QZSS stands for Quasi-Zenith Satellite System, and unlike the others, it was not designed to replace GPS. It was designed to make GPS work better in Japan specifically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Japan has a problem that no other country faces to quite the same degree: its cities are among the densest and most vertical on Earth. Tokyo&#8217;s urban canyons, combined with Japan&#8217;s mountainous terrain, mean that GPS signals are frequently blocked or distorted. Even with 31 American satellites in orbit, getting a reliable fix in downtown Tokyo or on a mountain road in rural Japan can be challenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">QZSS addresses this by positioning its satellites in orbits that keep at least one satellite almost directly overhead Japan at all times. A satellite directly above you is far less likely to be blocked by buildings or mountains than one near the horizon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The result is dramatically improved accuracy in Japan, particularly in urban areas. QZSS is also designed to send disaster alert messages to compatible receivers, which is significant for a country that experiences frequent earthquakes and tsunamis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Japan plans to expand QZSS to 7 satellites, which would give it the capability to operate independently of GPS if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Country_You_Should_Watch_South_Korea\"><\/span>The Country You Should Watch: South Korea<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">South Korea is building its own system called KPS (Korean Positioning System), planned for 8 satellites and targeting launch between 2027 and 2035. Like Japan, South Korea&#8217;s initial goal is to augment GPS rather than replace it, with domestic accuracy targeted at 1 metre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Does_This_Matter\"><\/span>Why Does This Matter?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your phone receives signals from all six systems at once, why does it matter who built them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It matters because dependency is vulnerability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every country that built its own system did so after a moment of realising that another country&#8217;s satellite could be switched off, degraded, or denied at any time. The US did it with Selective Availability for 15 years. The US denied India access during Kargil. Europe watched and decided it needed an alternative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For India specifically, having NavIC means that Indian fleet tracking, defence operations, disaster response, and critical infrastructure do not depend on a foreign government&#8217;s goodwill. That is why AIS 140 mandates NavIC support in all certified vehicle tracking devices. It is not just a technical specification. It is a national infrastructure decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For you, as someone using GPS every day, the practical benefit is simple: more systems means more satellites overhead at any moment, faster fixes, better accuracy, and fewer dead spots. Your phone is almost certainly using all six right now without telling you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Frequently_Asked_Questions\"><\/span>Frequently Asked Questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Which satellite navigation system is most accurate?<\/strong> For civilian users, Galileo (Europe) offers the highest publicly available accuracy, under 1 metre in good conditions. NavIC offers the best accuracy specifically over the Indian subcontinent among regional systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Does India&#8217;s NavIC work outside India?<\/strong> NavIC provides coverage over India and surrounding regions up to approximately 1,500 km from its borders. Beyond that, it does not provide reliable coverage. Devices that support NavIC also support GPS for global use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Can GPS be switched off?<\/strong> The US has the technical ability to degrade or disable civilian GPS signals. Selective Availability, which degraded civilian accuracy to 100 metres, was in effect from 1990 to 2000. It was permanently switched off in 2000, but the capability still exists. This is why other countries built independent systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Do smartphones use all these systems at once?<\/strong> Most modern smartphones receive signals from GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and NavIC simultaneously. The receiver picks the best combination of satellites visible overhead to calculate the most accurate position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why does Japan need its own system if it already has GPS?<\/strong> Japan&#8217;s dense urban environments and mountainous terrain create conditions where standard GPS struggles. QZSS is designed to improve accuracy specifically in Japan by keeping at least one satellite almost directly overhead at all times, reducing signal blockage from buildings and hills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n  \"mainEntity\": [\n    {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Which satellite navigation system is most accurate?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"For civilian users, Galileo (Europe) offers the highest publicly available accuracy, under 1 metre in good conditions. NavIC offers the best accuracy specifically over the Indian subcontinent among regional systems.\"}},\n    {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Does India's NavIC work outside India?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"NavIC provides coverage over India and surrounding regions up to approximately 1,500 km from its borders. Beyond that, it does not provide reliable coverage. Devices that support NavIC also support GPS for global use.\"}},\n    {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Can GPS be switched off?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"The US has the technical ability to degrade or disable civilian GPS signals. Selective Availability, which degraded civilian accuracy to 100 metres, was in effect from 1990 to 2000. It was permanently switched off in 2000, but the capability still exists. This is why other countries built independent systems.\"}},\n    {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Do smartphones use all satellite navigation systems at once?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Most modern smartphones receive signals from GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and NavIC simultaneously. The receiver picks the best combination of satellites visible overhead to calculate the most accurate position.\"}},\n    {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Why does Japan need its own satellite system if it already has GPS?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Japan's dense urban environments and mountainous terrain create conditions where standard GPS struggles. QZSS is designed to improve accuracy specifically in Japan by keeping at least one satellite almost directly overhead at all times, reducing signal blockage from buildings and hills.\"}}\n  ]\n}\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>elogs.in provides AIS 140 certified GPS tracking devices and fleet management software for businesses across India. <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/elogs.in\/contact-us\"><em>Get in touch<\/em><\/a><em> to find out how GPS tracking can work for your fleet.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There is a quiet race happening 20,000 kilometres above your head. 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