Tokyo, 21 Nov 2003
On 2 December, the Delegation of the European Commission in Japan will host an event to introduce the GALILEO programme. Representatives of the European Commission, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the GALILEO Joint Undertaking will make presentations on GALILEO's global navigation infrastructure.
Satellite navigation and its applications are a global growth market – on average % per annum over the past four years. So far, this technology has relied on a single service source, known as GPS. The European Union (EU) has decided that the development of a system designed specifically to meet civilian users' needs – GALILEO – is essential for the safe development of satellite navigation use throughout a large range of mass market and professional applications.
The development phase of GALILEO is well underway. With this in mind, the European Commission has embarked on an awareness campaign to inform industries worldwide of the opportunities created by the opening up of the GALILEO satellite navigation infrastructure.
With the market for Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology and applications expanding, there is likely to be considerable interest in GALILEO from Japanese companies, especially those in the technology and telecommunications sectors.
The advent of GALILEO will both enhance the quality of the services and increase the number of potential users and applications. GALILEO also has a unique set of positioning and timing services that allow for a wide new range of applications in almost all sectors of the economy from secure e-banking to monitoring fishing vessels.
GALILEO will provide a unique opportunity for Japanese companies to innovate and build new services and equipment. Asian partners including China, India and Korea have already expressed a clear interest in or commitment to GALILEO, with China recently agreeing to become a major financial stakeholder in the programme.
The open GALILEO "concession" scheme is likely to appeal to Japanese partners who may wish to participate in the financing and management of the infrastructure.
Several European companies will also participate in the Information Day order to present their own views and establish contacts with Japanese companies. There will be a Question & Answer session after the presentations, and a brief reception afterwards at which to make contact with the panellists face-to-face.
Date:
Tuesday 2 December, 14:00-18:00 (informal reception, 18:00 -)
Place:
Rainbow Room, 6th Floor
Delegation of the European Commission in Japan
Participation fee:
free of charge (Registration required)
Simultaneous English/Japanese interpretation will be provided.
Full details of the programme may be found on the Delegation's web site at:
Invitation to a European Commission Symposium: "GALILEO Information Day"
For further information and registration, please contact:
Etienne Reuter (Tel: 03-3239-0461)
Dominique Inoue (Tel.: 03-3239-0464) or
Miwako Suetsune (Tel: 03-3239-0430).
© 2001 Delegation of the European Commission in Japan
Item source: http:///jpn.cec.eu.int/frame.asp?frame=en glish/press-info/4-1-1-164.htm