Chinese company finds alternative to GPS in ISRO's NavIC

Xiaomi India Managing Director Manu Kumar Jain on Tuesday announced that the company has tied up with ISRO for deploying NavIC in upcoming Redmi phones.

Bengaluru: Chinese mobile major Xiaomi finds an alternative to the Global Positioning System (GPS) in India’s satellite-based navigation technology NavIC.

Xiaomi India Managing Director Manu Kumar Jain on Tuesday announced that the company has tied up with ISRO for deploying NavIC in upcoming Redmi phones.

The capability has been currently enabled by Qualcomm Technologies Inc on several of their Qualcomm Snapdragon Mobile Platforms and will be made available across multiple Xiaomi smartphones in India, a statement said.

Jain also said that Redmi would be the first phone in the world to use India’s home grown innovation.

NavIC is the operational name for Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

IRNSS has seven satellites covering India and 1,500 km around the country.

Some of the key consumer applications of NavIC for mobile include precise location mapping in remote, difficult to access areas, precise timing, along with visual and voice navigation for drivers among others, Xiaomi said.

Whereas the GPS was developed by the United States of America and with over 30 satellites the navigation system covers the entire globe.

(Inputs from PTI)