China expanding BeiDou’s location capability globally…should the U.S. be concerned?
China’s BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS) has emerged as a significant economic force, generating nearly $80 billion in output in 2024, a 7.39 percent increase from the previous year, according to a white paper from the GNSS and LBS Association of China. BDS, which sees more than 1 trillion location-based service requests daily, is now compatible with 288 million smartphones, mostly produced by Huawei and Xiaomi, the government-ran association said.
In addition, China’s mapping apps, Baidu Maps and Amap, said they are using the system to allow users to travel more than 2.4 billion miles each day. In terms of BDS-compatible chip and modules, the association said that shipments reached 2.3 billion units.
According to published reports, BeiDou continues to grow as political tension with the United States rises. The China Satellite Navigation Office, which operates BDS, plans to replace its existing constellation with centimeter-accuracy satellites by 2035.
China is seeking to expand its satellite reach, both domestically and abroad, to such consumer markets as in-vehicle systems, drones, wearables, electric bikes, robots and more smartphone compatibility, according to the state-run new agency Xinhua.
The white paper also said that BDS has been integrated into the standards of 11 international organizations and are exported to more than 140 countries.
Other association white paper takeaways:
- China’s cumulative patent applications for satellite navigation exceeded 129,000.
- More than 410 million satellite navigation systems were sold in China in 2024.
- Sales of IoT devices, wearables, vehicles and high-precision applications, exceeded 120 million units.
- More than 13.5 million BDS-enabled devices were deployed in road transport, postal and express delivery vehicles and rail systems.
 has emerged as a significant economic force, generating nearly $80 billion in output in 2024, a 7.39 percent increase from the previous year, according to a white paper from the GNSS and LBS Association of China.){kind=link}