Beidou’s global navigation satellite services: regulatory challenges and way forward

Paper number

IAC-17,E7,4,5,x37708

Author

Dr. Fabio Tronchetti, Beihang University (BUAA), China

Year

2017

Abstract

Over the past 15 years China has been constructing its navigation satellite system called Beidou. After an initial experimental phase, which was completed in 2003, the second generation of the system has become operational in China in 2011 and started offering services in the South-East Asia region in 2015. Beidou is expected to provide navigation satellite services on a global basis as of 2020.
The provision of global navigation satellite services will constitute a remarkable achievement, as it will enable China to operate at the same level of other navigation satellite providers, including the United States and Russia.  However, the implementation of this plan will pose significant organizational and legal challenges. From an organizational perspective, there will be the need to clearly identify the authorities in charge of operating, supervising and representing the system both domestically and internationally.  From a regulatory standpoint, the main challenge will be related to the management and distribution of the intended services, as China plans to offer not only an open service (free of user charge) but also an authorized/commercial service to selected users. The provision of the second category of services will indeed raise numerous questions related, for example, to the responsibility to distribute the service on a continuous and reliable manner, the liability of the service distributor for damage caused by incorrect or absent signal, the development of value-added services and the possible deployment of infrastructures in foreign territory, etc. These questions need to be clarified prior to the commencement of global navigation satellite operations. 
Therefore, as none of these issues is addressed within current Chinese legislation it seems worth to discuss and elaborate upon them. Based on a comparative analysis of existing navigation satellite regulations the present paper will put forward a series of recommendations on how China should structure its regulatory framework for the provision of Beidou’s global navigation satellite services.

Abstract document

IAC-17,E7,4,5,x37708.brief.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-17,E7,4,5,x37708.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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