Apple has incorporated India’s Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) GPS system into its iPhone 15 models, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Thursday. NavIC, which is powered by ISRO satellites, will be available along with other GPS systems by Galeilio and Glosnas in iPhone 15.
On September 12, Apple revealed iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models and they will be available for purchase later this month.
“There are two major milestones that emerge from Apple’s announcement of their latest iPhone 15. One is certainly a very satisfying announcement, which is that on the same day as a customer in New York, Tokyo or London getting their hands on a iPhone 15, an Indian customer will also get the iPhone on the same day,” Chandrasekhar said.
The Minister of State (MoS) for Electronics and Information Technology also said that for the first time ever, iPhone 15 incorporates the availability of NavIC GPS system in its system design along with other GPS from Galeilio and Glosnas.
“So for the first time ever, a global product like the iPhone will have embedded technology designed, delivered and operated by the Indian constellation of NavIC, which is something that ISRO built, designed and launched.
“It … shows the coming of age of Indian technology,” he said.
When asked if the government plans to introduce NavIC in other areas as well as cars, he replied in the affirmative.
“Yes! It is natural that NavIC trackers are made mandatory for all cars. The next step will be that all cars will also use NavIC trackers. As all iPhones have got NavIC, all cars will be powered by NavIC,” he said.