Explainer: NavIC, India’s home-grown alternative to the GPS navigation system

NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) and GPS (Global Positioning System) logos and Satellite model placed on the US and India flags are seen in this illustration taken Sept 25, 2022. — Reuters

NEW DELHI: The Indian government is pushing smartphone makers to enable support for its NavIC navigation system in new devices sold in the country from next year, a move that has spooked the industry due to additional costs and tight time frame.

Below are the details of NavIC’s inception, why India wants smartphone makers to adopt it and how the system compares to other global or regional navigation systems.