SiRF Joins iNavSat Consortium In Euro Galileo Concession Bid
spacedaily.com
San Jose CA (SPX) Sep 17, 2004
Extending its horizon beyond GPS, SiRF Technology Holdings, Inc. has joined the iNavSat Consortium in its bid to secure the estimated euro 2.2 billion concession to deploy and operate Europe's Galileo advanced satellite navigation system.
SiRF was chosen by the three principal iNavSat partners -- Inmarsat Ventures plc, the Thales Group and EADS Space -- because of its unique technology and market experience and knowledge.
SiRF has provided valuable data and insight on the mass-market rollout for the Galileo Concession, which was submitted to the Galileo Joint Undertaking on September 1, 2004.
"SiRF is a strong supporter of the Galileo system, and will continue to be proactively involved in its technical development and market rollout," said Kanwar Chadha, founder and vice president of marketing for SiRF Technology.
"We believe the combination of Galileo and GPS systems represents a major market opportunity for enhancing location-based services, and we look forward to driving its rapid deployment into the mass market."
SiRF joins an elite group of global technology leaders invited by iNavSat to be partners in its bid to become the Galileo Concessionaire. Bringing a wealth of experience it has gained with GPS, SiRF has provided help in developing the iNavSat business plan and other activities supporting the iNavSat consortium.
"SiRF's market leadership and vision for mass market adoption of location technology were key factors in our invitation to SiRF to join the consortium," according to Jean-Francois Bou, Galileo programme director from Thales. "Their market knowledge and technical insights have been very helpful in refining our business plan."
The Galileo Joint Undertaking is managing the development phase of Galileo on behalf of the European Commission (EC) and the European Space Agency (ESA). iNavSat is one of two remaining consortia selected by the Galileo Joint Undertaking to submit final bids for what they are estimating will be the euro 2.2 billion Galileo Concession.
The Concessionaire is expected to take the lead in arranging for private financing of the deployment and operational phases of Galileo, and ultimately would become the Galileo Operating Company. |
