Why NavIC Compatibility Varies Among Mobile Processors
NavIC Navigation with Indian Constellation, a regional satellite navigation system, offers valuable positioning services to regions in and around India. Unlike the globally supported GPS, NavIC's compatibility with mobile processors is limited. This difference is due to various factors, such as hardware support, market adoption, regulatory issues, and regional focus. Understanding these factors can help in comprehending why NavIC is not as widespread as GPS in mobile devices.
Hardware Support
The fundamental reason for NavIC's limited compatibility lies in the hardware requirements. GPS chips are commonly integrated into most mobile devices, allowing for seamless support. In contrast, NavIC receivers require specific chipsets that are designed to decode its signals. This additional hardware requirement is not present in many mobile processors, making NavIC support less widespread.
Market Adoption
GPS has been the established standard for satellite navigation for decades, leading to its widespread adoption across various devices. NavIC, being a newer system, has not achieved the same level of integration, especially outside of India. This lag in market adoption limits its appeal to global manufacturers, who prioritize the more established GPS for their international products.
Regulatory and Licensing Issues
For manufacturers to include NavIC functionality in their devices, they typically need to acquire licenses or meet certain regulatory requirements. These requirements can significantly complicate the integration of NavIC, making it less appealing to manufacturers who may need to invest additional resources to support it.
Focus on Regional Use
NavIC is primarily designed for use in India and the surrounding regions. While this focus is valuable for its intended purpose, it limits its appeal to manufacturers who prioritize a global customer base. As a result, GPS remains the preferred choice for international markets due to its broad support and universal acceptance.
Development and Support
The development of chipsets that can support NavIC is still ongoing. Some manufacturers, such as Qualcomm and MediaTek, have started to include NavIC support in their newer processors, but this universal adoption is yet to be achieved. This ongoing development presents a challenge for mobile device manufacturers who may need to wait for more widespread support before adding NavIC to their product lines.
Current Scenario and Future Outlook
As of now, NavIC is supported only on specific mobile processors, such as the Snapdragon 865 and 720G, due to their integration capabilities. Adding NavIC support to existing models is not worthwhile for brands, as early adopters may not be enthusiastic, and others may wait for new features to emerge.
Some may wonder why SOC manufacturers do not add NavIC support to their existing SOC offerings to enable future model support. Qualcomm has added NavIC support to their latest flagship processors, such as the Snapdragon 865, but this is not a common practice. Most Device Original (ODM) companies prefer to acquire the latest SOCs within 6-9 months of their initial launch. Chipmakers find it uneconomical to add support to older SOCs that are rarely used in devices post-launch.
Therefore, NavIC’s integration with mobile processors is gradually increasing but is not yet as widespread as GPS. As NavIC continues to develop and gain more support from chipmakers and device manufacturers, we can expect to see more devices incorporating this valuable navigation system.
Conclusion
In summary, while NavIC is a valuable addition to the navigation landscape, its adoption and functionality in mobile devices are still growing. The key factors affecting this support include hardware integration, market adoption, regulatory issues, and the regional focus of NavIC. Despite these challenges, the potential benefits of NavIC make it a worthwhile investment for manufacturers targeting specific regions and segments.