Galileo, Europe's answer to GPS, to go online

After 17 years and numerous setbacks and budget boosts, Europe's Galileo satnav system is due to go live on Thursday with promises of better-than-ever location services.


Initial services, free to users worldwide, will be available only on smartphones and navigation units already fitted with Galileo-compatible microchips.

Some devices may need only a software update to start using the service, according to the European Commission, which funds the project.

"Galileo will increase geo-localisation precision tenfold," European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic said ahead of Thursday's launch.
 [france24.com/AFP]
15/12/16
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