Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is one of the most important innovations in the 20th century. It is at the heart of many systems and technologies. GNSS encompasses many different positioning systems that have been designed and implemented by different countries.
GPS for instance was developed by the USA and became fully operational in 1995. China meanwhile deployed the BeiDou satellites starting in 2000 and now has three generations of systems in orbit.
Here’s a complete list of GNSS frequencies to include all variants of GPS, BeiDou and others. It also includes the accuracy of each technology.
| GNSS Technology | Band | Frequency (MHz) | Accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPS | L1 | 1575.42 | 4.9 m |
| L2 | 1227.60 | ||
| L3 | 1381.05 | ||
| L4 | 1379.91 | ||
| L5 | 1176.45 | ||
| GLONASS | L1 | 1598.0625 – 1609.3125 | 2.8 m |
| L2 | 1242.9375 – 1248.625 | ||
| L3 | 1202.025 | ||
| BeiDou | B1 | 1561.098 | 3.6 m |
| B2 | 1207.14 | ||
| B3 | 1268.52 | ||
| E1 | 1575.42 | ||
| E5a | 1176.45 | ||
| E5b | 1207.14 | ||
| Galileo | E1 | 1575.420 | < 1 m |
| E6 | 1278.750 | ||
| E5 | 1191.795 | ||
| E5a | 1176.450 | ||
| E5b | 1207.140 | ||
| Navic | L5 | 1176.45 | 1 m |
| S | 2492.028 | ||
| SBAS | L1 | 1575.42 | < 2 m |
| L5 | 1176.45 | ||
| QZSS | L1-C/A | 1575.42 | < 1 m |
| L1C | 1575.42 | ||
| L2C | 1227.6 | ||
| L5 | 1176.45 | ||
| L1-SAIF | 1575.42 | ||
| LEX | 1278.75 | ||
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between GNSS and GPS?
GNSS refers to the entire constellation of satellites that broadcast signals that are used by receivers to determine their location. GPS is one particular navigation system owned by the United States. It is the most widely used system today.
How does GPS work?
There are over 30 GPS satellites in orbit. Your phone needs to be listening to at least four of them to figure out where it is. Here is a short video about how GPS works
Which is the most accurate GNSS system?
The most accurate GNSS system is Galileo with position accuracy of less than 1 meter.
Summary
GNSS technologies are one of the most important innovation of the last 50 years. These technologies will continue to play a major role in future technologies. For instance, it is going to be invaluable in autonomous vehicles and precision agriculture.
In this post we have summarized the frequency bands of operation and accuracy of different technologies.
In future posts we will be discussing and reviewing various GNSS modules available either as complete products or for integration into your products.