ISRO NavIC Should be Made Mandatory for Mobiles Released in Indian Market: Anshu Prakash, Telecom Secretary

ISRO NavIC, India’s very own ingenious invention that could take on the likes of Google Maps, should be made mandatory for mobile phones released in Indian markets to adopt, said Prakash, Telecom Secretary. He expressed his views in agreement with R Umamaheswaran, scientific secretary, ISRO at the recently held webinar called “NavlC: Opportunities for the Telecom Industry".

The webinar was organised by the National Telecommunications Institute for Policy Research, Innovation and Training (NTIPRIT), the apex training institute of the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India in partnership with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the telecom industry.

The Telecom Secretary, while inaugurating the session, also said that the importance of integration of technology with applications so as to reap the benefits of technology to the fullest. He also stressed that ISRO NavIC could be used to track oxygen tankers and other essentials in the present COVID-19 pandemic. Prakash supported the views of R Umamaheswaran, who said that NavIC adoption could be made compulsory in smartphones launching in the Indian market. He also said informed that there are plans to make NavIC available on L-1 band in addition to the presently used L-5 band

What is ISRO NavIC?

NavIC, which is the operational name for the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), is an acronym for Navigation with Indian Constellation. According to ISRO, NavIC aims at providing a position accuracy of better than 10 metres (33 ft) throughout the Indian landmass and better than 20 metres (66 ft) in the Indian Ocean.

It covers India and a region extending up to 1 ,500 km beyond the Indian mainland (primary coverage area). ISRO NavIC was recently recognised by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) as a component of the World-Wide Radio Navigation System (WWRNS), which will enable the utilisation of NavIC in the fields of maritime navigation, surveying, and geodesy among others.

Applications of ISRO NavIC

• Terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation.
• Disaster management.
• Vehicle tracking and fleet management.
• Integration with mobile phones.
• Precise timing.
• Mapping and geodetic data capture.
• Terrestrial navigation aid for hikers and travellers.
• Visual and voice navigation for drivers.

Who has Adopted ISRO NavIC so Far

Giant mobile chipset manufacturers like Qualcomm, MediaTek and Broadcom support NavIC across various chipset platforms. Qualcomm announced three Snapdragon mobile platforms 720G, 662, and 460, which come equipped with NavIC. Furthermore, the Redmi Note 9 Pro series supports the NavIC technology.