Why is it in the news?

• As per the Ministry of State for Electronics and Information Technology, all smartphones must support NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) by the end of 2025.
  • 5G smartphones are required to support NavIC by January 1, 2025, while other phones must have this capability by December 2025.
• The government is considering providing incentives for using Indian-made or designed NavIC-supporting chips in system designs, similar to incentives under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for IT hardware.
• In the automobile sector, it is mandatory to use GPS that utilizes NavIC chipsets, alongside other global navigation systems like GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and QZSS.

About NavIC

• NavIC is an independent navigation satellite system developed by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization).
• NavIC comprises eight satellites and covers the entire landmass of India, extending up to 1,500 km from its borders.
• Applications of NavIC include public vehicle tracking, emergency alerts for fishermen in remote sea areas, and monitoring natural disasters.
• The system supports national projects like public vehicle safety, power grid synchronization, real-time train information, and fishermen safety.
• NavIC provides India with an indigenous and controlled positioning system, reducing reliance on foreign satellite systems.
• It ensures that navigation services are not subject to withdrawal or denial in critical situations.
• NavIC’s acceptance and India’s achievements in space, including Chandrayaan 3 and the Aditya L1 solar mission, demonstrate the country’s growing capabilities in the space sector.