HAVE plans to create a European satellite navigation system lost their way? That’s the fear after China revealed the true nature of its satellite positioning system, named Beidou, last week.
China had been working with Europe to create Galileo, a satnav system to compete with America’s GPS network. But China’s official news agency said on 2 November that Beidou will now provide a free “open” service with 10-metre accuracy, in addition to an encrypted military service.
This could undermine the economic case for Galileo, according to a senior Galileo source, because China was expected to be a key market for…
