CGI has been awarded a contract to build the core infrastructure for the first demonstrator for the Galileo Commercial Service, part of the emerging European Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). The contract was awarded by the European Commission Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry (DG ENTR).

When operational, Galileo satellites will take satellite navigation to a whole new level. Users will be able to rely on the service for their most critical positioning applications, especially when used in conjunction with other systems, such as GPS.

It will be especially useful in urban areas, on mountains and at high latitudes where GPS-only coverage can be intermittent.

The demonstrator application will show how Galileo can provide positioning services that are accurate to the centimetre, as well as its innovative position-authentication services could lead to further commercial uses.

Once complete, the demonstrator will be made available to other GNSS service providers to test across vertical markets, including transport, insurance and personal mobility.

The Galileo Commercial Service was introduced with the goal of creating a potential revenue source to support the future maintenance of EU satellite navigation services.

It provides added value to the Galileo Open Service with the expectation that new services will be based on its encrypted and guaranteed signal, which delivers a higher data throughput rate and increased positioning accuracy.

"The Commercial Service has many added benefits beyond its original designation as a potential revenue source for the Galileo system," said Steve Smart, vice president of Space, Defence and National Security at CGI in the UK.

"It will maximise the program's ability to provide the best navigation services possible to the public and commercial sectors, and will create economic value for the EU in general. We are proud to say we are playing a key role in this innovative process."

The European Commission DG ENTR is working in partnership with the European GNSS Agency (GSA) and the European Space Agency, in collaboration with member states. The objective is to provide the operational Commercial Service, and its associated exploitation model, in the following years.

CGI has a long track record of supporting the European space industry, which includes having delivered the Constellation Control Facility that controls Galileo's 30 satellites, as well as developing software that underpins the missions of more than 200 individual satellites.