Why is NavIC far better?

Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) by ISRO gives its user en number of advantages compared to other maps generally available online or app. India's homegrown GPS alternative, NavIC. In this article, we can see some of the benefits of NavIC.

 

The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), with an operational name of NavIC (acronym for Navigation with Indian Constellation; also, navik 'sailor' or 'navigator' in Indian languages), is an autonomous regional satellite navigation system that provides accurate real-time positioning and timing services.

NavIC advantages:

It offers a positioning accuracy of 3 metres, depending on the signal strength and availability of satellites. GPS has an accuracy of 5 metres.

NavIC is available in two frequencies (S and L band) whereas GPS is only available in L-band.

NavIC coverage includes India and a region up to 1500 km beyond the boundaries. It gives accuracy better than 20m and timing accuracy better than 50ns.

Is NavIC better than Google Maps?

We can say so right now. Yes, the NAVIC satellite navigation system is used by Mappls by MapMyIndia, an Indian competitor to Google Maps, for precise positioning and timing. 

NavIC provides a more detailed navigation experience than Google Maps for displaying road speed limits, current driving speed, and traffic signal information etc.

Is NavIC available for public use?

Yes, it has two levels of service, the "standard positioning service", for civilian use, and a "restricted service" (an encrypted one) for authorized users only.

When can we get NavIC in our smartphones?

The authority said that by January 1, 2025, 5G phones have to have mandatory support for NavIC while all other phones that currently use the Global Positioning System (GPS) will need to provide NavIC support by December 2025.

Qualcomm's NavIC association info is herewith.

Stay tuned for more updates on NavIC features.