What is GNSS
Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) refers to any satellite constellation that provides global positioning, navigation, and timing services.
Several GNSS are currently available:
- Galileo (EU)
- GPS (USA)
- GLONASS (Russia)
- BeiDou (China)
Using signals from space, each of these systems transmits ranging and timing data to GNSS-enabled receivers, which then use this data to determine location.
Assessing and improving performance
GNSS performance is assessed using four criteria:
- Accuracy: the difference between a receiver’s measured and real position, speed or time.
- Integrity: a system’s capacity to provide a threshold of confidence and, in the event of an anomaly in the positioning data, an alarm.
- Continuity: a system’s ability to function without interruption.
- Availability: the percentage of time a signal fulfils the above accuracy, integrity and continuity criteria.
This performance can be improved using regional Satellite-based Augmentation Systems (SBAS), such as the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS).
Importance of GNSS in our economy
According to EUSPA's EU Space Market Report, GNSS market growth is becoming increasingly service-driven, with total revenues expected to increase from more than €300 to over €580 billion between 2024 and 2034, indicating that Satellite Navigation monetisation is heavily tied to digital ecosystems and value-added applications rather than user devices alone. Nonetheless, the global installed base will reach almost 10 billion units in 2034.