India Will Mandatory For Samsung, Apple And Xiaomi For Locally Made GPS Adoption

Illustration of the GPS application (Photo: Karthik Sridasyam /Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The Indian government has reportedly asked mobile phone manufacturers to immediately adopt the Regional Satellite Navigation System (NavIC), but the tech giants are worried.

The new rules apply to smartphones released in 2023 onwards. The country is currently working to reduce dependence on foreign satellite networks for the strategic sector by creating its own technology.

The Indian government needs the latest smartphone model from companies like Samsung, Apple and Xiaomi to support the NaviC system.

The NaviC system works in almost the same way as GPS but focuses on providing more accurate domestic navigation for Indian consumers.

Approved in 2006, the new NaviC was fully operational in 2018 with eight satellites covering the entire territory of India, plus several other regions across the continent. Even so, some smartphone manufacturers say Indian government initiatives could pose problems with their businesses.

Making smartphones compatible with NaviC requires some additional hardware or will significantly increase production costs.

The three companies also claim that implementing such technology would require more testing permits, which appear inappropriate for adoption by 2023.

In fact, this new rule is claimed to disrupt their operations in 2023. One of the Samsung India executives told the government, if it supports the NaviC, smartphones require new chipsets and other hardware changes.

Moreover, most of the companies are ready for the model to launch in 2024. The Samsung executive said the NaviC system on smartphones would not be feasible until 2025.

Another concern from technology companies related to the frequency where the NaviC system operates. Currently, the Indian government relies on the L5 satellite frequency, which is much less used for smartphones, for example, Apple, which now supports L5 with the iPhone 14 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra. Vendors are trying to convince India to use L1 frequencies, the same as the GPS frequency.

Reported by SamMobile, Tuesday, September 27, further, Samsung itself is expected to launch its Galaxy S23 flagship series in early 2023. Currently, the phone is under development, and if it packs the NaviIC system, it will take a long time to complete it.

The Indian government is known for frequently imposing high local taxes on products not produced in the country, which is why Apple is now assembling their iPhones in India. The question arises whether the government will also force smartphone manufacturers to use the NaviC system.