Qualcomm is supporting the European Galileo Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) with its chipsets and Snapdragon mobile processors.

Until now Qualcomm’s hardware support for Galileo was in selected chipsets nonly.

The Qualcomm IZat location services platform will connect with up to six satellite constellations which means more than 80 different satellites can be used when calculating global position for navigation or location-based applications.

According to the chip supplier, the addition of another GNSS is intended to provide more accurate location performance faster time-to-first-fix.

This is intended to help manufacturers in implementing an important component of the European eCall mandate ahead of the March 2018 deadline.

“We are happy to announce support for the European Galileo satellite navigation system and to see that longstanding efforts and cooperation between the GSA, the European Commission, Qualcomm Technologies and the mobile ecosystem are delivering a key component of the European Digital Single Market,” said Enrico Salvatori, president of Qualcomm Europe. “eCall and Galileo, together with upcoming advances in automotive connectivity pave the way to enhancing road safety and delivering new services to consumers.”

This feature is integrated in the latest Snapdragon 800, 600, and 400 processors and modems.

Galileo will be supported on smartphones and compute devices with the appropriate software release on Snapdragon 820, 652, 650, 625, 617, and 435 processors, automotive infotainment solutions utilizing Snapdragon 820A, and telematics and IoT solutions with Snapdragon X16, X12, X7, and X5 LTE Modems, and 9×15 and MDM6x00 modems.