Political Positioning

Is it a smartphone, or is it a square of diplomatic propaganda?

When the MTS Glonass 945 Android device strike the stores progressing this month it was dubbed "Russia's answer to iPhone".

But the initial ever handset able to take signals from both GPS and the opponent Glonass heavenly body positioning network appears to be leaving consumers underwhelmed.

Some have blamed its 11,000 roubles (237) cost tag. Others subject because normal phone owners would need multi-part positioning technologies.

But it does offer one critical role - demonstrating that Glonass works.

After decades of development, Russia's Global Navigation Satellite System, had started to be used for state purposes.

Many military cars, ambulances and open ride vehicles are versed with receivers.

The launch of the Chinese-built phone was the next step towards Glonass' wider open acceptance.

However, it has been met with something shut to indifference.

"There is definitely no fascination in the device from the pile consumer - there is a numerous of similar products on the marketplace that encouragement GPS only, and are sufficient cheaper," mentioned researcher Eldar Murtazin from Mobile Research Group.

"The key indicate is, a consumer doesn't caring if it's GPS or GPS-Glonass, they obtain their coordinates in possibly box - so because pay more?"

Mr Murtazin explained that the GPS-only European chronicle of the handset, the Vodafone 945, expenses half the price.

"For the device to be popular, it needs to be attractive and have an attractive price," he said.

"It's not correct to twice the cost only because they're adding Glonass - notably because it does not give an common user any actual advantages for their every day positioning and navigation."

However, Valeriya Kuzmenko from the phone network MTS disagrees: "The positioning coordinates are more precise, and it is notably critical in town areas with many buildings, together with out in the wild.

"Also, a double-system device starts about twice as rapidly as a single-system one - for example, when you obtain out of an subterraneous automobile playing field and onto an unknown street, your device might not be working for about a minute, and if you're not able to to stop, you can simply obtain lost," says Ms Kuzmenko.

As is to price, she adds, it is the median cost of a smartphone with similar specifications.

But still, Russia's greatest telecom sell store Digital Centre ION has declined to batch the new phone - because, as the company's PR executive Dmitry Khovansky points out, it is "a really niche product".

"You can't say it's a arrange of a 'Russian iPhone', as a few people have called it. And it's not only about the navigation - this specific model is simply not really popular.

"People who purchase phones of this cost operation often select models from brands similar to Samsung or LG. This phone is a bit too costly for what it can offer - and for now, not many people are ready to rest on Glonass anyway," mentioned Mr Khovansky.

He believes that the hand-held device has done it onto the marketplace simply to uncover faithfulness to Russian technologies.

International auditorium

But this could change in future - if the Glonass chipset becomes cheaper and manufacturers insert it in better-quality mobile phone models, he adds.

AFK Sistema, the firm that promotes Glonass, mentioned that many leading world mobile phone brands were already in talks with Russia about the pile prolongation of hand-held gadgets enabled with both navigation systems.

In fact, shortly companies might be forced to sell Glonass-compatible mobiles in Russia.

By 2012, authorities target to deliver duties of around 25% on the import of phones without the Russian navigation system.

And nonetheless many understand Glonass as a opponent to the existing US monopoly, Russian officials disagree.

They affirm that their technology complements GPS, enhancing the correctness and precision of the signal.

In future, Russia says Glonass will moreover work hand in hand with the European Union's Galileo and China's Compass network, when these two navigation systems are complete.

And there is a few indication that it is already going international.

Swedish firm SWEPOS, a national network of heavenly body anxiety stations, has motionless to use Glonass, adage that the Russian network is improved than GPS at northern latitudes - and that two are improved than one.

"Standalone GPS and standalone Glonass have about next to positioning accuracy, so 90% of our users are using twin GPS-Glonass system," mentioned Bo Jonsson, the company's emissary head.

Mr Murtazin calls the consent between Russia and Sweden an critical diplomatic decision.

"This way, Russia gets an associate abroad and can right away uncover that Glonass is getting out in to the general arena. So it's great politically."

Just similar to GPS, the Russian network was expected for armed forces use in the late 1970s - but it after that became a municipal plan as well.

The Soviet Union launched its initial navigation heavenly body in October 1982, in the centre of the Cold War and a space and arms race.

By that time, America had already sent up several GPS satellites.

In the early years of Glonass's existence, a complete of 43 satellites were put in to orbit, with the authorities aiming for universal coverage by 1991. That was the year the Soviet Union fell apart, and notwithstanding formerly desirous goals, by that time there were only 12 organic Glonass satellites encircling the planet.

Even even though the state managed to complete the constellation a few years later, during those violent post-perestroika years, the Russian manage to buy suffered and so did the appropriation of the whole Glonass project.

"There was simply not enough allowance to keep the network afloat, and there's no privacy about that," explained Anatoly Perminov, the head of the Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos (which oversees the project), in an progressing talk with BBC News.

With 21 organic satellites right away in orbit, Glonass covers the whole domain of Russia and about 80% of the Earth.

The constellation was meant to be finished by 2011, but a booster launched final December carrying the final 3 satellites veered off course. It is think to have depressed in to the Pacific Ocean nearby Hawaii.

To make sure universal coverage, there should be at least 24 working satellites.