Gary Williams
The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – a body similar to Anatel – has made an important decision this week. From now on, all smartphones in the country will be able to receive GPS data based on a European satellite. The information was celebrated by the country’s consumers, since the use of more than one satellite can improve GPS accuracy by making it easier to locate destinations and locations. According to some experts, the iPhone was already capable of using European data.
However, a United States national security law prevented Apple from releasing foreign satellites within its territory. Therefore, the European Commission has asked the FCC to make an exception for its location system.
Upon confirmation of the uniqueness for the US public, the FCC still issued an official note on the subject:
“The FCC has authorized the European Commission’s request that devices in the United States be able to access specific signals transmitted from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) known as Galileo. With today’s action, consumers and industry in the United States will now be permitted to access certain satellite signals from the Galileo system to augment the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), and thus benefit from improved availability, reliability, and resiliency of these position, navigation, and timing services in the United States.”
According to the regulator, most smartphones can already receive the signal because the hardware is universal. However, in order for the novelty to be released, the devices will need a software update from their manufacturer.
