India’s NavIC Mandate for 5G Phones: The Indian government is intensifying efforts to promote NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), its indigenous satellite navigation system, in the country’s smartphone market. The government initially mandated NavIC support in all devices sold in India beginning on January 1, 2023. Now, India’s Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, has announced additional measures.
Starting on January 1, 2025, all smartphones with 5G connectivity sold in India will be required to support NavIC. This requirement will be enforced beginning in December 2025 for mobile phones lacking 5G connectivity. Chandrasekhar emphasized the government’s commitment to expanding NavIC adoption, stating, “We will make it almost mandatory for all GPS-enabled devices to use NavIC chipsets, as we have already done in the automobile industry.”
India’s NavIC Mandate for 5G Phones: What exactly is NavIC?
Comparable to global systems such as BeiDou (BDS), Galileo, and GPS, NavIC is India’s indigenous satellite navigation system. Five fully operational satellites comprise the NavIC satellite constellation, which covers the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, China, and portions of Australia and Africa. It provides location tracking precision of 5 meters under optimal conditions and 10 meters under less than ideal conditions. India intends to increase NavIC’s satellite count to 24 in order to provide global coverage with greater precision, including L1 and L5 frequencies.
Apple recently incorporated NavIC support in select models of its iPhone 15 series, aligning with India’s strategy to promote its navigation system as a GPS alternative. It is anticipated that this action will influence other major smartphone manufacturers to integrate NavIC support into their upcoming devices.
Consequently, the Indian smartphone market will likely see an increase in NavIC-compatible devices in the future months, reflecting the government’s efforts to establish NavIC as a preferred navigation system among domestic and international consumers.
