China's Beidou (a GPS competitor) launches, a year ahead of schedule

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1 pointjbeales3 comments

> For consumers, if a device supports all the systems, (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and Beidou), would we be able to get greater accuracy, or if not greater accuracy, get our location faster than before?

At a minimum, consumers will see better accuracy in challenging conditions such as "urban canyons" simply due to the fact that they are more likely to have sufficient satellites in direct view.

The accuracy isn't as great as existing systems, but it also can't be turned off by "the west."

For consumers, if a device supports all the systems, (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and Beidou), would we be able to get greater accuracy, or if not greater accuracy, get our location faster than before?

Yes, having more frequency bands available helps better correct for ionospheric distortions, and provides a greater chance of getting more satellites in line of sight. Some phones already support multiple systems - Pixel 3 XLs will simultaneously use GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo for example.

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