Russia and the United States, concerned about competition from navigation systems being developed by the European Union and China, intend to secure frequency spectrum and other positions for their GLONASS and GPS satellite navigation systems at the level of the United Nation's International Committee on GNSS (ICG).

"The GLONASS and GPS systems were developed in the 1970s and, naturally, they include solutions that have been obsolete for a quarter century. The modernization of the systems has been fairly difficult, and radical changes to the systems are virtually impossible.

"China with its Compass system and the EU with Galileo, using Russian and American experience, are developing their systems at the most advanced level. Consequently, when these systems are rolled out they will be of better quality than GPS and GLONASS," a source in the aerospace industry told Interfax.

He said that in order to protect their positions Russia and the United States, which head the A working group of the ICG, intended to secure priority for their systems at the level of the committee.

Working group A develops rules in the area of compatibility and complementariness of satellite systems.

"Decisions of the international committee, which includes representatives of Russia, the United States, the EU, China, India and Japan, are made by consensus - the committee members agree with recommendations and assume the obligation to comply with them," the source said

Source: Voice of Russia