BeiDou, China’s version of GPS, now being used over 1 trillion times per day
The Chinese navigation system has ascended to a dominant position in its home market, driving nearly US$80 billion of economic output last year
The BeiDou satellite navigation system, China’s answer to GPS, cemented its leading position in the Chinese market last year, as its economic footprint grew more than 7 per cent and it expanded its compatibility to support a broader range of devices.
The home-grown system – named after the seven bright northern stars used for navigation in ancient China – drove a total of 575.8 billion yuan (US$79.9 billion) of economic output in 2024, up 7.39 per cent year on year, according to data published on Sunday by the GNSS and LBS Association of China, a semi-official industry body.
BeiDou is now compatible with 288 million smartphones – mostly produced by domestic brands like Huawei and Xiaomi – in China, and is used to track locations more than 1 trillion times every day, the association said.
China’s leading navigation apps – Baidu Maps and Amap – said they used BeiDou to guide users on journeys of a combined 4 billion kilometres per day.
More than 30 years since its first satellites were launched, BeiDou’s role continues to grow in its home market as China pushes forward with a strategy of technological self-reliance, aiming to reduce its dependence on Western-made systems.
Beijing has poured investment into domestic technologies amid fears the country could be cut off from US services like GPS during a period of heightened geopolitical tensions, but China’s vast market is also turning BeiDou into a viable business.
To expand its reach in China’s consumer market, BeiDou is expanding its compatibility from smartphones and in-vehicle satellite navigation systems to wearables, drones, electric bikes and even robots, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported.
BeiDou is also reportedly broadening its coverage in China and upgrading its technology to reduce latency, as GPS faces growing barriers in the Chinese market due to national security concerns.
“America’s GPS in China is now either not supported on some domestically made devices or deliberately not used due to security reasons, especially when a government agency, state-owned enterprise or military unit needs navigation services or extra-precise mapping,” said an academic at Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, who declined to be named due to privacy concerns.
“Foreign companies face certain restrictions on collecting high-precision mapping data in China, but many smartphones like iPhones support both GPS and BeiDou, automatically selecting the best signal,” he added.
The development of the BeiDou system also drives investment in a range of related hardware and services, including chips, algorithms, data processing, terminal equipment and ground infrastructure, as well as the infrastructure needed to build, launch and maintain satellites.
With its functionality now rivalling GPS in many areas, Beijing is also eager to promote BeiDou overseas.
The Chinese system has already expanded its coverage worldwide and has reportedly honed the precision of its positioning in key Asian countries, including nations across Southeast Asia as well as other countries involved in China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
BeiDou’s operator, the China Satellite Navigation Office, aims to replace its existing constellation with new, more advanced satellites by 2035, with the next-gen satellites reportedly supporting real-time positioning accurate to within a centimetre.
The new satellites will also be able to provide precision positioning for deep-sea exploration and flights at altitudes far beyond those typically used by commercial aircraft, according to state media reports.