The more satellites put up for global positioning, the faster it will be to get to the first fix. This will be the major benefit for positioning of adding the European GALILEO constellation and, once repaired, the Russian GLONASS constellation, to the American GPS constellation.
“The more satellites you have, the quicker the position fix”, says Mark Cetto, Executive Vice President for the Mobile and Personal Business Unit at NXP Semiconductor, “if you double the amount of satellites in the sky you cut the time it takes a get the first fix.”
GALILEO should double the amount of available satellites and GLONASS should add the same number again. That means the time to first fix could be cut be a third when, and if, all three constellations are installed.
With all the politicking going on, does he think GALILEO will happen? “Absolutely it will happen”, says Cetto, “politically it is becoming clearer. For GALILEO we, at NXP, will have a hybrid system which works with GPS and with GALILEO and that will double the amount of satellites available.”
“We are also looking at GLONASS,” adds Cetto, “we're looking at how we could implement GLONASS in the architecture.”
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