LBS

BSNL launches satellite phone services

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, India’s only authorised service provider for satellite phone services, launched the Global Satellite Phone Service (GSPS).

For fishermen, it is a revolutionary communication gadget that would come in handy as they practice multiday deep-sea stay fishing. Satellite-based mobile phone service provides voice call and SMS facility using satellite communication without any mobile network or any signal from a mobile tower and keeps the user connected in the remotest corner through direct linkage with the satellite. A SIM card having unique mobile number is allotted for this service and will cover the entire country, including exclusive economic zones. www.thehindu.com

Japan plans self-driving cabs for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

ZMP, a developer of autonomous driving technology, and the taxi company Hinomaru Kotsu, began road tests with a minivan in Tokyo. In their latest trial, a minivan equipped with sensors made four round-trips a day on a busy 5.3 kilometres stretch of road between the Otemachi and Roppongi districts.

The experiment has captured the imagination of Tokyo residents and 1,500 people have applied to be passengers. www.forbes.com

GSA publishes its second GNSS User Technology Report

The second edition of the European GNSS Agency’s (GSA) GNSS User Technology Report has been published, providing an exhaustive review of all the latest GNSS trends and developments. It is a sister publication to the GSA’s GNSS Market Report, is published every two years and takes an in-depth look at the latest stateof- the-art GNSS receiver technology, along with providing expert analysis on the trends that will shape the global GNSS landscape in the coming years