Frequently asked questions on Galileo

What are the next stages of the programme?

The political agenda:

On 11 June 2004, the Transport Council adopted a regulation creating the "Galileo Supervisory Authority". This will be the authority responsible for overseeing the activities of the future Concessionaire of the system. The Authority should be operational in the first quarter of 2005.

In December 2004, the Transport Council (on the basis of the Communication (2004) 636 submitted by the Commission in October 2004) took the following decisions:

• Give the green light for transition to the deployment and operating phases
• Validate the definition of services offered by Galileo, as proposed by the Commission
• Decide on the structure of public financing for the programme

The technical agenda:

On 21 December 2004, the first contract was signed for the In-Orbit Validation (IOV) contract with industry partners (Galileo Industries): autorisation to proceed for an amount of 150 millions euros.

Launch of the first Galileo test satellite scheduled end of 2005 in order to secure the frequencies filed for Galileo with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). Two contracts were launched in parallel in order to minimize risks of delay.

Have the "safety" and "security" aspects of the programme been fully taken into account?

Safety and security issues are crucial aspects of the products that will be developed using the Galileo infrastructure. It is therefore necessary to:

• Ensure that the system components cannot be undermined in any way (intentional or unintentional)
• Take the necessary measures to prevent the system being used in a manner that is contrary to the interests of European Union (EU) and/or its Member States

All safety and security aspects have been taken into account from the definition phase of the programme. They have been analysed in detail by the Galileo Security Board, made up of experts from the EU and ESA Member States. Following its establishment, safety and security aspects will fall within the competence of the Supervisory Authority. In times of crisis, security management will be under the responsibility of the Council.

Will Galileo have military uses?

The Galileo system is a civil system that will be deployed and operated by a private concessionaire. Galileo is solely driven by civil design parameters, providing a set of high performance services geared towards the needs of civilian users, and none of the Galileo services have been created with the needs of military users in mind. However, for non-critical operations, as for any other civilian infrastructures such as transport and telecommunications networks it would be natural for Galileo to be used by military users as today they are using the civilian GPS signal.

Is Galileo economically viable if military use of PRS is excluded as demanded by the UK government?

The Public Regulated Service (PRS)provides position and timing to specific users requiring a high continuity of service, with controlled access. Two PRS navigation signals with encrypted ranging codes and data will be available.

"As requested by the Council in December 2004, the Commission is elaborating a "PRS policy of access" which defines the conditions required in order for various communities of users to make use of this service. The Galileo concession candidates will analyse the PRS policy of access and align their business plan according to the allowed markets. The actual concession candidate offers do count on some 20% revenues stemming from PRS. It is expected that the PRS policy of access will not undermine such a market share."

Is international cooperation on Galileo in the best interests of European industry?

As a global system Galileo requires partners around the world. The opening up of Galileo to international cooperation will help European industry to penetrate regional and global markets by helping to remove those regulatory barriers which might otherwise exist, as well as securing the support of those regions within the various international standardization bodies. Moreover, European industry will be better placed to build international strategic partnerships, thus making them more globally competitive.

Each regional partner offers different benefits. In the case of China for example, international cooperation will provide access to the country’s large and very dynamic internal market as well as its important industrial capabilities. In the case of Israel, cooperation will facilitate access to the country’s advanced technologies. South America is another huge potential market for Galileo products and services, as is Russia, which can also contribute vital scientific and technical know-how gained from the experience of launching its own satellite navigation system (GLONASS).

The benefits of international agreements are both political and economic. The international agreements support the worldwide introduction of Galileo, contributing to its development both in Europe and the rest of the world, and ensuring that it becomes a key component in the global infrastructure. These partnerships will enhance the standing of the European Union in the wider global context.

Is there a risk that cooperating non-EU countries (like China) could use Galileo for military purposes?

Galileo is a civilian design system and none of the Galileo services have been created with the needs of military users in mind. Furthermore, in the agreement with third parties, such countries will not have access to the Public Regulated Service (PRS) and adequate articles addressing the risks of technological proliferation have been introduced. Finally measures have been adopted to prevent the system being used in a manner that is contrary to the interests of the EU and/or its Member States.

Are Galileo and GLONASS interoperable?

Yes. Combined Galileo and GLONASS receivers can be developed. Technical discussions on interoperability are ongoing with the relevant players in the European Union (EU) and Russia.

Is the risk of undesirable technology proliferation addressed in the various international cooperation agreements?

All information, equipment, technology, and data which are exchanged as a result of these various international agreements are still subject to the relevant laws and regulations, including export control laws and regulations. Appropriate articles to avoid unwanted technology proliferation have been included in each cooperation agreement.

What measures have been put in place to cover any excess costs?

Galileo is a truly innovative space system. The Galileo programme is complex and includes a lot of new high tech developments, and as such there are inherent risks both in terms of cost and schedule. A key factor in the selection of the future Galileo Concessionaire will be its ability to adequately manage these risks.

Cost figures for the different elements of the system and the various phases have been analysed in detail at key project milestones. The total infrastructure cost 3200 million euros of which 1100 million cover the development phase of the programme (validation of the design by testing four satellites in orbit) and 2100 million euros for the deployment of the remaining satellites of the Galileo constellation.

What is the role of the Galileo Supervisory Authority? When will it be in place? Where will it be based?

The Galileo Supervisory Authority is the legal entity which will sign the concession contract with the Galileo Concessionaire. Its main role is therefore to manage the effective execution of this contract. A European regulation establishing the Galileo Supervisory Authority was approved in June 2004. The Supervisory Authority will be in place early in 2005, in line with the timetable for the Galileo Concession process. It is expected that the Authority will initiate its operations in Brussels.

Is it realistic to enter into a public private partnership at this stage of the programme?

One of the key requirements in the selection of the Galileo Concessionaire is the readiness to significantly invest in the system in order to complement public sector financing. Two consortia submitted bids for the concession in September 2004, and both offers confirm the feasibility of a Public Private Partnership for Galileo. The concession contract will be under negotiation throughout 2005 in time for signature by the end of that year.

The objectives set by the Council for the deployment phase are met by the candidates to the concession, i.e. two third of private investment and one third of public investment. The candidates do also confirm the set of 5 services (open access, commercial access, safety-of-life, search and rescue and public regulated) as the basis for their business plan over the full 20-year concession period.

How will EGNOS be integrated into Galileo?

The EGNOS integration into Galileo has to be understood from a service provision, market and management perspective.

Integration is intended to be achieved through appropriate legal arrangements between the Galileo Operating Company (GOC) and the EGNOS Economic Operator (EEO) with regard to management and provision of services

EGNOS will be integrated with Galileo in a timeframe ranging from the signature of the Galileo Concession Contract with the Galileo Operating Company (GOC) to the achievement of the Galileo Full Operational Capability (FOC) milestone. This will ensure the most efficient market penetration and business opportunities for the European Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) services.

How does EGNOS affect Galileo’s market?

EGNOS and Galileo are not competitors – in fact, quite the opposite. EGNOS and Galileo are fully complementary in the booming GNSS market. EGNOS covers GPS shortcomings by maintaining the accuracy and integrity of GPS, while at the same time providing better performance levels.

EGNOS will be certified in 2006 for Safety of Life services, which will make it possible to start operational services, thus opening up the market for the arrival of Galileo. Synergies between Galileo and EGNOS in Europe will benefit large user communities, and will trigger new applications for which availability and robustness are considered fundamental. The availability of EGNOS services will allow manufacturers and system designers to boost the development of receivers and devices in view of the Galileo upcoming services.

When can EGNOS be used?

An EGNOS test signal has been available since February 2000. The EGNOS Services will be introduced progressively as follows:

• EGNOS Open Service (improved accuracy and availability with respect to GPS) will be available by mid 2005. This service will be free but a service guaranteed will not be given to users (non Safety of Life service).
• EGNOS Commercial Service(guaranteed service via Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites or EGNOS service via controlled access data distribution) will be available by end 2005. This service will be guaranteed to customers through a Service Level Agreement.
• EGNOS Safety of Life service is expected to be available in 2006, following the completion of the certification process with the relevant authorities.

What will it cost to use EGNOS?

The EGNOS Open service will be provided for free as a public utility but without a service guarantee.

The users of the Safety of Life (SoL) service will be eventually charged on the basis of a fair cost allocation model.

The EGNOS Commercial service will be provided by the EEO based on a pricing market-oriented policy.

How can I use EGNOS? Are EGNOS receivers available?

Most of the receivers available on the market today are SBAS/EGNOS enabled. The performances and price of the receivers depends on the application. There are basic EGNOS compatible receivers starting from 150 euros.

Where can I receive EGNOS?

EGNOS coverage includes land, maritime waters and airspace of Europe. (ECAC in the aviation domain).

EGNOS coverage will be extended to the MEDA region in 2006 and towards Africa later.

Will EGNOS be redundant when Galileo will be operational? Will EGNOS be discontinued then?

Galileo in combination with GPS/EGNOS will provide a better service in terms of performances and robustness than Galileo alone. This combined use of the GNSS systems will underpin the transition towards an extensive introduction of GNSS services.

In the long term (after 2015), the GSA will decide the most efficient portfolio of services to be provided considering business aspects and the public interest.

Will Galileo be operational in 2008?

The programme has encountered delays in the political decision making process, which has obviously had an impact on the timetable for technical developments. An intermediate programme had to be implemented: the GSTB-V2 programme which allows the securing of frequencies allocated to Galileo within the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). This would not have been necessary if the programme had started within its previous timeframe. After the deployment of the 4 initial satellites of the in-orbit validation phase, the GPS/EGNOS/Galileo combined services will be progressively provided.

Everyone says that Galileo will cost more than expected, is this true?

Delays in the political decision making process have had impacts on the technical developments. These have, in turn, had an impact on the costs. Furthermore, several security requirements, which have been gradually defined more precisely, have induced design changes. Today the overall cost impact is capped at 400 million euros.

What are the main challenges in the development of Galileo between now and the start of full operations?

Any project as complex as Galileo involves risks. Adequate procedures are put in place to identify and manage those risks.

• Risks related to the development of the Galileo ground segment are linked with the tight schedule. However, technical feasibility has already been demonstrated since Europe has developed a similar ground-based infrastructure with EGNOS.
• With regards to the satellites, the most cutting edge technology onboard are the atomic clocks. Two different systems are being developed, and an experimental satellite to validate the technology will be launched next year, allowing full qualification of these devices.
• Regarding user receivers, the technology is similar to the one currently used in GPS equipment, and efforts will focus more on achieving the required level of integration. Applications are already being developed under the 5th and 6th EU Research Framework Programmes.

What are the main risks to Galileo following the start of full operations?

It will be crucial to pursue a strategy of continuous modernisation of the programme in order to meet evolving user needs.

What advantages and disadvantages will Galileo present compared with GPS after full deployment?

As Galileo is designed for civil users, its services allow the creation of a whole chain of efficient and safe applications which could not be implemented so far with the existing systems which were conceived for military purposes.

One of the advantages of Galileo is its ability to offer high performance service guarantees. Galileo will also provide completely new capabilities such as a navigation signal for commercial services and innovative modulation signal structures which will ensure outstanding performance levels. Moreover, Galileo will provide a search and rescue service which will greatly improve rescue operations worldwide.

Thanks to the agreement signed in June 2004 between the EU and the US, both systems are compatible and interoperable. Galileo has become the de facto world standard as the US GPS system will be aligned with the Galileo frequencies and signals. It is therefore expected that all receivers will combine both Galileo and GPS functions. All levels of performance in terms of accuracy, availability, continuity, etc, will, de facto, be improved and secured. Furthermore, the combination of both satellite constellations will provide enhanced coverage across the planet.