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Mainland set for position- finding system

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A nationwide navigation system using the global positioning system (GPS) on code division multiple access (CDMA) networks will soon be a reality in China. The system is to be launched commercially, according to CDMA technology developer Qualcomm.

Qualcomm said the technology would find high demand among end-users and companies hoping to target them with advertising and promotions.

John Beale, senior director for Qualcomm's international marketing, said: 'The position-finding technology is of very strong interest in China today.'

The technology, GPSOne, was designed by Qualcomm subsidiary SnapTrack. With GPS antennas on the handsets, the location of callers could be detected with an accuracy of five metres for outdoor sites and 20 metres indoors.

While GPS is used worldwide, the CDMA technology has been deployed in the United States, South Korea and Japan.

In the US, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) pushed through legislation to compel mobile-phone makers to incorporate location reporting technology in their phones. The initiative, e-911 or enhanced 911, was promoted as a means to give law enforcement and emergency services a way to locate people dialling the 911 emergency number from their mobile phones even when they were unable to describe their locations.

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