China says chips for devices using Beidou navigation system in mass production

China said on Monday that 28-nanometre chips that enable mobile devices to receive signals from the Beidou navigation system are in mass production and mass manufacturing of high-precision 22-nanometre positioning chips will soon kick off.

China will build a complete industrial chain of chips, modules, boards, terminals, operation services for Beidou, Ran Chengqi, director general of the China Satellite Navigation Office, said at a press conference.

In the past decade, the total output value of China’s satellite navigation and location services industry has been growing at an average annual rate of more than 20%, reaching 345 billion yuan ($49.47 billion) in 2019 and is expected to exceed 400 billion yuan in 2020, Ran said.

In June, China successfully put into orbit its final Beidou satellite, completing a navigation network years in the making and setting the stage to challenge the U.S.-owned Global Positioning System (GPS).

Many countries using Beidou services are involved in the Belt and Road initiative spearheaded by China to create a modern-day Silk Road of trade and investment.

Beidou-related services such as smart port and land mapping have been exported to about 120 countries, including those in ASEAN, South Asia, Eastern Europe, West Asia and Africa, Ran said.