The contributions of space research organizations are boundless. The extraordinary inventions, the high-tech spacecraft and most importantly satellites have immense applications in our daily lives. Now, we might not be able to spot a difference they are making, but the big picture depends on them. For example, ISRO and Xiaomi have shaken hands to incorporate NAVIC technology in Xiaomi smartphones.
Without smartphones, we can’t survive even one day. They are a very integral part of our life. And, incorporating the NAVIC technology into something so basic in our daily lives proves how crucial is satellite navigation. Currently, the news of bringing this technology in Xiaomi is crawling all over the internet.
What is NAVIC?
NAVIC stands for Navigation with Indian Constellation. It is the operational name for The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System. The technology is built by ISRO, our very own space organization to monitor real-time positioning and timing. NAVIC mainly covers the Indian mainland and an extended region of 1,500 km around it.
Global navigation is very important for every nation especially for the army, the aircraft, and the navy as well. During the time of war or any hostile situation, a country to have access to the global navigation satellite system. But, it becomes almost impossible to get access to those data. Hence, to overcome this problem ISRO opened a new satellite navigation center in 2013.
ISRO launched NAVIC mainly for military purposes but recent times have shown an expansion of the service. Before Xiaomi and ISRO collaborated, Qualcomm already incorporated the same technology in some of its Snapdragon chipsets. And, the same is now helping Xiaomi to introduce this technology in their smartphones.
In July 2013, ISRO launched the first satellite of this program. It has an accuracy of 1m in public and 0.1 encrypted. Till now nine satellites have been launched from IRNSS.
Past History of Xiaomi
The company’s smartphone sales have grown exponentially over the years. Though it also sells apps and other software, 90% of the company’s revenue comes from the smartphone sell. This surpasses even the revenue of Apple that comes from its mobiles.
The company has made a breakthrough by coming into a joint venture with both ISRO and Qualcomm. But, let’s have a look into its brief history.
Lei Jun founded the company in April 2010. And, in August 2010 it launched its first product which was an android-based MIUI (MI-User Interface). Around 2011, the company started selling its product in the Asian technological markets. In 2012, another new smartphone came into the market and the company started getting bigger.
It is quite a progress for a new company to incorporate such a high-tech geo-positioning system given the competition in the market. At the end of 2013, Xiaomi became the fifth-largest company in China in terms of mobile phones sale. Currently, Xiaomi is working on launching its new operating system, MIUI 12.
Beijing, China is the base of the company’s headquarters. The company also has many international headquarters and one of them is in Singapore.
Xiaomi and NAVIC
The Chinese smartphone company finally confirms that it will be introducing smartphones having NAVIC technology in it. The technology is mainly used as a geo-positioning system in India and for a distance around it. Qualcomm’s snapdragon mobiles unleashed the true power of this machinery.
After an agreement with ISRO regarding this technology, the efforts given by Xiaomi’s R&D are limitless. Xiaomi has made this announcement better by putting the tag of “made in India”. They want to manufacture mobile phones in India as the technology itself is created in this nation.
Features and Advantages
First time a technology which is developed in India is used in the country for manufacturing as well. NAVIC comprises of seven satellites out of which three orbits over the Indian Ocean (geostationary orbit) and the other four can provide positioning with accuracy better than 20m.
One of the main reasons to apply this technology in smartphones is to navigate locations in very rural areas. Along with precise timing, voice and visual navigation are also provided for the benefit of the drivers. So, in 2020, the release of many Xiaomi smartphones will take place with this feature across multiple price points.
Annasha Dey is an NIT student, who apart from studying engineering is also a content writer. She has a great interest in photography, writing, reading novels, and travelling as well. She is a foodie who loves socializing and hanging out with her friends. She is also a trained Kathak dancer and a big fashion enthusiast. Dey also loves watching TV series, which includes F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and Big Bang Theory. To be a better writer she prefers to read more