EU makes new satellite navigation system available for free

A satellite navigation system five times as accurate as current models will benefit everyone from the blind to those employed within the aviation sector, the European Commission said last Friday.

The technology, known as the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) is available now, free, to business and individuals, EU Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani told a press conference in Brussels.

"What we are doing today opens the door for European businesses and citizens to benefit from the myriad of better applications and new opportunities made possible by more precise navigation signals," he said.

EGNOS improves the accuracy of current GPS signals across Europe from about 10 metres to two metres.

That, explained the Commissioner, will mean GPS can now include more intricate use, from pinpointing agricultural crop spraying to helping to guide blind people in their everyday lives.

There are also transport benefits, from automatic road tolling systems run by satellite and pay-per-use car insurance schemes, to the airline sector: EGNOS is currently being certified for aviation use.

EGNOS was developed with backing from the Commission and the European Space Agency, and is made up of transponders aboard three "geostationary" satellites, a ground network of about 40 positioning stations, and four control centres.

The Commission said the system is Europe's first-ever contribution to satellite navigation and a precursor of Galileo, the global satellite navigation system the EU is currently developing.

A Commission statement said: "The EU is committed to supporting EGNOS for the long term, even after Galileo has become operational.

"This includes extending its geographical scope within the coverage of the three satellites involved."

The EGNOS coverage area can be extended to North Africa and countries neighbouring the EU and is freely available to anyone with a GPS compatible receiver within the EGNOS coverage area.

The Commission said most GPS receivers sold last Friday in Europe meet the requirement, and no other authorisation or certification is required to use the new system.