Russia and China will finalize an agreement this month to establish two joint ventures to develop, manufacture and sell new satellite navigation devices that receive signals from three major navigation systems, the head of Russia's GLONASS Union said Monday.

"We are in the final stages of creating joint ventures with Norinco, China's analogue of Russia's Rostec [state technologies corporation]... Russian and Chinese prime ministers are expected at the final agreement signing in December," Alexander Gurko told RIA Novosti.

The Bei-Dou-GLONASS-GPS device will operate under the "BG-Star" brand on Russian and Chinese markets, with plans to expand further, Gurko said.

One of the ventures is expected to develop the chip set at Russia's Skolkovo Innovation Center, the other based in China and involved in manufacturing and sales, according to the GLONASS Union president.

"This device is not for smartphones and not for high-precision positioning systems. It is intended for telematic terminals...in other words to navigate multipurpose transportation," Gurko specified.

"China is interested in using Russian experience in establishing emergency response systems because we have surpassed our European partner's eCall systems, which will be put into operation only in 2018."

The GLONASS Union chief added that all new vehicles entering the Customs Union would be required to be fitted with the new device starting in 2017.

Gurko projected plans to incorporate the European navigation system Galileo. He said talks were underway with Indian and other space agencies on localizing telematics terminals for the Indian market. Markets in the United Arab Emirates, Brazil and Cambodia are under consideration, as well as agreements with Iran.

++ Russian Defense MinistryConducts Final GLONASS Tests- Developer Russia's GLONASS satellite navigation system has been handed to the Defense Ministry for final tests, the chief executive of the system's developing company said on Monday.

"We presented the system to the customer for final tests currently underway," Russian Space Systems (RSS) Director General Andrei Tyulin told the Izvestiya daily.

Tyulin said tests resumed on Saturday after the company remedied problems previously identified by the ministry.

"Not to get ahead of ourselves, but I can say we are making every effort to complete this work. We hope that the system will be put into operation after testing," the RSS head added.

The ministry is testing GLONASS as a development project, the daily reported.

Operated by the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces and launched in 1993, GLONASS is seen as Russia's version of the US Global Positioning System (GPS).

Source: Sputnik News