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Good news, a year after its appearance on the first smartphones (¹), Apple finally integrates a GNSS receiver chipset compatible GALILEO. The iPhone 8/8+ and soon iPhone X are now provided with the LTE X16 Snapdragon modem MDM9655 from Qualcomm company, which includes a multi-GNSS receiver : GPS (USA), GLONASS (Russia), GALILEO (Europe) and QZSS (Japan) (²). Confirmation was given to me by our friends at iFixit.
[Update 15/12/2017] The iPhone 6S and 7 are now compatible with Galileo signals.
Within a month of the launch by Ariane 5 four new satellites of the GALILEO constellation to 18 satellites, manufacturers of components of location have already presented their new chips of location supporting the European GNSS. This allowed the Spanish company BQ to propose early September the first smartphone "Galileo-ready., equipped with the processorQualcomm Snapdragon 652, the Aquarius X 5 more.
We could expect to find the same chip in the iPhone 7 from Apple, that fitted for the iPad and iPhone 4S 3 all its mobile devices with Qualcomm communication processors, integrating GPS reception (US) and GLONASS (Russian), it is not. With this latest smartphone, Apple revives Broadcom, waived for 2012 to ensure these functions, by integrating a chip BCM47734.
Since my first post on GALILEO end 2011 (¹), Europe's space has increased. Despite the economic uncertainties and many budgetary restrictions, Course and schedule have been maintained thanks to a community political flawless. This is to be welcomed because many other areas of European action didn't have the scoop.
The year 2016 has already been dubbed "the year of GALILEO".. This was the clear message of the Munich Satellite Navigation Summit (²) early March. The Munich Summit covered all GNSS systems, but this year focus was squarely on GALILEO. Read more …
Just published, the 20 October, my previous post about iPhone 4S new GPS chipset – to receive signals from the Russian GLONASS system – in which I inserted a skeptical comment about the future of Galileo, I find myself caught up in the news.
Not only the first two satellites Galileo were launched the following day 21 October successfully from Kourou, but more by the Russian Soyuz ! I hope you enjoy the comedy of the situation… Read more …