u-blox Demonstrates Navigation Using BeiDou

Swiss-based u‑blox, a provider of GPS/GNSS and wireless semiconductors, has achieved successful satellite positioning using China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. According to u-blox, the technical achievement establishes u-blox as the first GNSS component vendor to demonstrate compatibility with all globally deployed positioning systems: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and now BeiDou.

However, NovAtel has also announced support for the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System on its OEM6 family and select OEMStar GNSS receivers.

Customer demonstration of the u-blox technology will begin during Q1 2013.

“We are thrilled to have achieved this milestone only three weeks after the BeiDou specification was published,” said Thomas Seiler, u-blox CEO. “China will become the world’s most important single market for devices relying on embedded satellite navigation, and u-blox plans to be a major player in this market.”

BeiDou-2 currently has 15 satellites in orbit, offering navigation and positioning services to users in China and Southeast Asia. It will ultimately consist of 35 satellites providing worldwide positioning capability over its open service to within 10 meters accuracy.

u-blox will be demonstrating BeiDou compatibility with their latest GNSS platform at embeddedworld 2013 February 26-28 in Nuremberg, Germany, stand 4A-325.