New BeiDou white paper touts system’s successes

May 23, 2025 - By Tracy Cozzens

Successful launch of the 59th and 60th BDS satellites on Sept. 19, 2024. (Photo: International Cooperation Center of China Satellite Navigation Office)

China’s BeiDou satellite navigation system has achieved major breakthroughs and in-depth applications across a wide of range of sectors, according to a white paper issued May 19 and reported by South China Morning Post.

The report was released by the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Location Based Services (LBS) Association of China, a semi-official industry body. It reported that BeiDou cemented its leading position in the Chinese market in 2024. , as its economic footprint grew more than 7 percent and it expanded its compatibility to support a broader range of devices.

Key findings from the report:

BeiDou tracks locations more than 1 trillion times every day.
BeiDou drove a total of 575.8 billion yuan (US$79.9 billion) of economic output in 2024, up 7.39 percent year on year.
BeiDou is now compatible with 288 million smartphones, mostly produced by domestic brands like Huawei and Xiaomi.
China’s leading navigation apps – Baidu Maps and Amap – said they used BeiDou to guide users on journeys of a combined 4 billion kilometers per day.
To expand its reach in China’s consumer market, BeiDou is expanding its compatibility from smartphones and in-vehicle satellite navigation systems to wearables, drones, electric bikes and robots.

The China Satellite Navigation Office, aims to replace its existing constellation with new, more advanced satellites by 2035, with the next-gen satellites reportedly supporting real-time positioning accurate to within a centimetre.

The new satellites will provide precision positioning for deep-sea exploration and flights at altitudes far beyond those typically used by commercial aircraft, according to China’s media reports.