MeitY Opens Tenders for Bidding for 1 Million NavIC Chips
Indian Ministry of Electronics and IT(MeitY) has opened the high-stakes bidding to submit the tenders for 1 million integrated NavIC and GPS receivers or chips by January 11. Proposals can be submitted for the design, manufacturing, supply, and maintenance of the receivers.
The request for proposal (RFP) was floated by MeitY on November 30, to not only provide impetus to India’s indigenous positioning technology NavIC, but also strengthen signal availability and position accuracy all over the country.
NavIC, or the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, can provide accurate position information service to users in India, as well as the region extending up to 1,500 kilometers from its boundary.
In contrast to GPS-only receiver chips, the commercialization of NavIC user receivers will support a range of messaging facilities. This would also reduce India’s reliance on foreign positioning technology and strengthen its positioning autonomy at critical times of need, as the NavIC system is completely under Indian control.
The government hopes to use these receivers for navigation on land, air, and water, disaster management, vehicle tracking, location services on mobile phones, and more.
