The EU and the US have signed an agreement which means that the EU's planned Galileo system will be compatible with the US Global Positioning System (GPS).

When fully deployed, Galileo’s 30 satellites will more than double the number of satellites providing the American GPS, and that will increase the accuracy and reliability of navigation and timing signals receivable around the world.

There are important military features to the agreement, but from the civilian perspective, the agreement allows the systems to be seamlessly integrated, providing better accuracy, especially in built-up areas where the current GPS signal can be patchy.

The Galileo project is scheduled to orbit its first satellite in 2007.

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