Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has fired the Russian Federal Space Agency chief. Anatoly Perminov will be replaced by Vladimir Popovkin as head of Roscosmos.
The replacement of Perminov demonstrates the political importance of the Russian GLONASS satellite-based positioning system. Perminov was held responsible for the unsuccessful launch of three GLONASS satellites that crash-landed in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. This embarrassing failure in December was followed by problems with the launch of a military satellite in February and delays with a manned launch for the International Space Station.
The Russian government is strongly promoting GLONASS as a rival to the US GPS system. It has announced that GLONASSS must be used in eCall systems expected to be mandated in all newly Type Approved car models from the start of 2013, according to SBD’s new report eCall in Russia ~ The impact & requirements of ERA GLONASS.
“A mandate for ERA GLONASS in the car is seen by the Russian government as a crucial strategy to stimulate the GLONASS market and develop lower-priced alternatives to GPS,” says Andy Hart, Senior Analyst at SBD.
The ability of the Emergency Road Assistance based on Global Navigation Satellite System (ERA GLONASS) eCall systems to support additional services such as stolen vehicle recovery or pay-as-you-drive insurance is expected to lead to a fast uptake of private telematics services, predicts Hart.
The Russian government has formed a new company called Navigation Information Systems (NIS) to build and deliver the ERA GLONASS services. NIS is jointly owned by the Federal Space Agency and Sistema, the owner of MTS Russia’s leading mobile network operator.
Russia is making strong efforts to coordinate ERA GLONASS with the European Commission’s plans for a pan-European public eCall service and is also trying to include vehicle manufacturers in the planning of the initiative. A working group has been established that includes NIS, ITS Russia, Ertico ITS Europe and automobile manufacturer groups from Europe (ACEA), Japan (JAMA) and South Korea (KAMA).
This working group is aimed at synchronising the technical requirements for both European eCall and ERA GLONASS and also coordinating the timing of deployment. Current plans within the EC for pan-European eCall indicate that mandated deployment will start after Russia at the end of 2014, according to SBD’s new report Pan-European eCall ~ responding to the legislation. “Vehicle manufacturers are in a difficult position having to respond to eCall legislation in both Russia and the European Union,” says Stephen Longden, ITS & Telematics specialist at SBD. “The more coordination between Russia and Europe, the better,” he adds.
To learn more about eCall in Russia ~ The impact & requirements of ERA GLONASS or Pan-European eCall ~ responding to the legislation please contact Kavitha Kuppuswamy at kkuppuswamy@sbd.co.uk
