Russia eyes building Glonass stations in 36 countries

Russia plans to build 50 stations for the global navigation satellite system Glonass in dozens of countries, a senior official said Wednesday.

"We will continue promoting Glonass technologies on global markets and increase competitiveness of the Russian navigation services," Kremlin administration chief Sergei Ivanov told a technology forum.

"For that end, we will create a ground measuring segment abroad," Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.

Glonass, started in 1993, is the Russian equivalent of the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS). The Glonass network provides real-time positioning and speed data for surface, sea and airborne objects with an accuracy of one meter.

Ivanov said Russia looks forward to building 50 data-collection stations in 36 countries to guarantee more stable and precise work from the Glonass.

Moscow also plans to create a "common navigation space" with Kazakhstan and Belarus, its partners in the Customs Union.

Glonass, which currently consists of 23 satellites, has experienced frequent technical problems recently, as its satellites went out of service twice during April.

Source: Xinhua News Agency