Apple’s latest devices - iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max support ISRO's navigation tech

Tech giant Apple has come up with iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max and these devices support Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC), which is developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). According to a news report, it is for the first time that Apple added support for NavIC to any of its iPhone models.

The report said that the company has not yet specified which features will be included in the deployment. The company mentioned that this navigation technology is not present in the standard iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Plus variants.

According to ISRO's website, NavIC is designed with a constellation of 7 satellites and a network of ground stations operating 24 x 7. The technology was established to meet India's positioning, navigation and timing requirements. 

"Three satellites of the constellation are placed in geostationary orbit, at 32.5°E, 83°E and 129.5°E respectively, and four satellites are placed in inclined geosynchronous orbit with equatorial crossing of 55°E and 111.75°E respectively, with inclination of 29° (two satellites in each plane)," the website says.

"The ground network consists of control centre, precise timing facility, range and integrity monitoring stations, two-way ranging stations, etc" it adds.

Two services - Standard Position Service (SPS) for civilian users and Restricted Service (RS) are offered by NavIC for strategic users. The coverage area of this technology includes India and a region up to 1,500 kilometres beyond the Indian boundary.

A few applications of the technology are transportation, location-based services, personal mobility, and scientific research.