Beidou navigation system to have test network

BEIJING - China will build a testing and certification network for its Beidou satellite navigation system over the next three years to sharpen the system's global competitiveness, according to a Friday statement from the Certification and Accreditation Administration.

An authoritative testing and certification system with uniform standards and legal support will secure the Beidou system's safe operation and accelerate its industrialization, said the statement.

By 2015, a national testing center will be set up in Beijing, while another seven local sub-centers will be established across the nation, it said.

The centers will test the safety and accuracy of products designed for use with the system and qualify them for civilian use.

China began to construct the Beidou system in 2000 with a goal of breaking its dependence on the US Global Positioning System by 2020. Authorities plan to launch a total of 30 satellites to complete the system, with the 12th and 13th satellites being launched at the end of April.

The system is scheduled to provide comprehensive services, including navigation, positioning, mapping and time services, to clients in the Asia-Pacific region at the end of this year.

The Beidou system has been used by 120,000 civilian and military users to date, according to the statement.