Navigation Satellite System Chip Market – Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, Segmented By Device Type (Smartphones, Tablets and Wearables, Personal Tracking Devices, Low-power Asset Trackers, In-vehicle Systems, and Drones), By Application (Navigation, Mapping, Location-Based Services, Surveying, Telematics, Timing and Synchronization, Others), By End-user Industry (Automotive, Aviation, and Consumer Electronics), By Region, Competition 2021-2031F

Forecast Period	2027-2031
Market Size (2025)	USD 8.63 Billion
CAGR (2026-2031)	5.62%
Fastest Growing Segment	Location-Based Services
Largest Market	Asia Pacific
Market Size (2031)	USD 11.98 Billion

Market Overview

The Global Navigation Satellite System Chip Market will grow from USD 8.63 Billion in 2025 to USD 11.98 Billion by 2031 at a 5.62% CAGR. The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) chip is a specialized semiconductor integrated circuit designed to receive and process signals from satellite constellations, such as GPS, Galileo, and GLONASS, to determine precise location, velocity, and timing. The market is primarily driven by the escalating integration of location-based services in consumer electronics and the critical demand for reliable positioning in autonomous vehicles and precision agriculture. These factors represent the fundamental expansion of end-use applications and distinct commercial demands, separating them from technological shifts or feature trends.

However, the industry faces a significant challenge regarding signal reliability in dense urban environments, often referred to as the urban canyon effect, which can severely degrade positioning accuracy and impede deployment in critical infrastructure. According to the European Union Agency for the Space Programme, in 2024, the consumer solutions and automotive segments were projected to account for approximately 92% of global GNSS device shipments. While this concentration indicates robust volume, the technical difficulty of ensuring consistent connectivity in obstructed areas remains a substantial barrier to further market diversification.

Key Market Drivers

The rising demand for Autonomous Vehicles and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) is a primary force propelling the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) chip market, as these applications require centimeter-level positioning accuracy for safe operation. Unlike standard navigation, autonomous systems rely on multi-frequency GNSS receivers to provide redundancy and precision, ensuring reliable lane-level positioning even in challenging environments. This shift towards higher-performance automotive components is creating a substantial revenue stream for chip manufacturers who are optimizing their designs for safety-critical integrations. According to u-blox, February 2025, in the 'Annual Report 2024', the company projected double-digit revenue growth for its Locate business in 2025, specifically citing the increasing adoption of high-precision positioning technologies in the automotive and industrial sectors.

The expansion of 5G-enabled smartphones and consumer electronics further accelerates market growth by creating massive volume demand for GNSS components that can maintain reliable connections in complex urban environments. Modern consumer devices increasingly integrate dual-frequency GNSS chips to mitigate signal multipath errors, enhancing location-based services such as ride-sharing, fitness tracking, and emergency response. This widespread proliferation of connected devices ensures a continuous manufacturing scale that supports the broader semiconductor ecosystem. According to Apple Inc., January 2025, in the 'Fiscal Year 2025 First Quarter Results', the company's installed base of active devices reached a new all-time high of over 2.35 billion, underscoring the immense scale of the consumer electronics sector requiring persistent location capabilities. Supporting this overall market trajectory, according to the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), April 2025, in the 'EO and GNSS Market Report', the combined annual global revenues for GNSS and Earth Observation downstream markets were projected to increase from over €260 billion in 2023 to nearly €590 billion by 2033.

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Key Market Challenges

The inability to maintain consistent signal reliability in dense metropolitan areas significantly restricts the addressable market for Global Navigation Satellite System chips. This issue, known as the urban canyon effect, occurs when high-rise infrastructure obstructs or reflects satellite transmissions, causing substantial inaccuracies in positioning data. Such instability directly hampers the adoption of these chips in safety-critical sectors like autonomous urban logistics and emergency response, where precise location tracking is a fundamental operational requirement. Consequently, potential clients in these high-value industries may delay or limit procurement due to performance concerns in city environments.

This technical limitation presents a notable barrier to capitalizing on the financial potential of the sector. According to the European Union Agency for the Space Programme, in 2024, global revenues from GNSS downstream markets were projected to exceed €260 billion. While this figure illustrates the vast economic scale of the industry, the persistent difficulty in ensuring connectivity in obstructed areas prevents chip manufacturers from fully accessing the revenue associated with advanced commercial applications in urban centers.

Key Market Trends

The convergence of GNSS receivers with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite systems is reshaping the market by addressing the latency and signal weakness inherent in traditional Medium Earth Orbit constellations. LEO satellites transmit significantly more powerful signals, enabling chips to maintain lock in signal-degraded environments where standard GPS fails, effectively creating a new layer of infrastructure for autonomous navigation. This architectural shift is rapidly moving from testing to commercial viability as specialized constellation providers secure substantial backing to deploy these auxiliary networks. According to Inside GNSS, February 2025, in the 'Xona Secures $4.65M Contract with AFRL' article, Xona Space Systems announced that it had secured total signed contracts of over $20 million to date, validating the industry's financial commitment to this next-generation positioning layer.

Parallel to orbital shifts, the development of resilient Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) and anti-jamming capabilities has become a critical priority to counter the escalating prevalence of signal interference and spoofing attacks. Manufacturers are embedding sophisticated interference mitigation algorithms and cryptographic authentication directly into receiver architectures, ensuring operational integrity for defense and critical infrastructure sectors that cannot tolerate disruption. This strategic focus on security-hardened components is catalyzing high-value consolidation among key technology providers who specialize in assured positioning. According to Hexagon AB, January 2025, in the 'Hexagon to acquire Septentrio' press release, Septentrio was expected to generate revenues of over €50 million in 2024, underscoring the lucrative market demand for robust positioning technologies in mission-critical applications.

Segmental Insights

The Location-Based Services segment is experiencing the fastest growth in the Global Navigation Satellite System Chip Market due to the extensive integration of positioning technology in smartphones and wearable devices. This expansion is largely fueled by consumer demand for navigation, asset tracking, and personal safety applications. Furthermore, stringent mandates from regulatory entities like the Federal Communications Commission concerning emergency caller location accuracy have compelled manufacturers to incorporate reliable chips into consumer electronics. This combination of commercial utility and regulatory compliance ensures the continued dominance of this segment in the broader market.

Regional Insights

Asia Pacific holds the leading position in the Global Navigation Satellite System Chip Market, supported by a vast semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem and high consumer electronics output. The region experiences consistent demand for location-based services in smartphones and connected vehicles, particularly in major industrial hubs like China and Japan. Additionally, the deployment of indigenous infrastructure, such as the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, compels the integration of compatible technology across local applications. This focus on regional satellite autonomy, combined with the presence of key component manufacturers, drives the sustained dominance of Asia Pacific in the global sector.

Recent Developments

• In February 2025, STMicroelectronics introduced the Teseo VI family of Global Navigation Satellite System receivers, targeting high-volume precise positioning for automotive and industrial sectors. The company stated that these components integrated multi-constellation and quad-band signal processing onto a single die, aiming to enhance performance and integration. The receivers featured a dual-core architecture designed to support safety-critical functions such as autonomous driving and advanced driver-assistance systems. Furthermore, the Digital Audio and Signal Solutions General Manager at STMicroelectronics noted that the inclusion of embedded non-volatile memory provided a cost-effective platform for applications like asset tracking and smart agriculture.
• In November 2024, u-blox launched the UBX-M10150-CC, a GNSS chip developed specifically for wearable devices requiring ultra-low power consumption. The company reported that this new component utilized Low Energy Accurate Positioning technology to operate at approximately 10mW, significantly extending the battery life of host devices. u-blox designed the chip to mitigate signal reflection effects, which improves positioning reliability in dense urban environments. The firm emphasized that the compact size of the chip allowed manufacturers to produce smaller smartwatches and sports trackers while maintaining the ability to upgrade firmware for future feature enhancements.
• In October 2024, Septentrio announced a collaboration with the GNSS Store to widen the availability of its mosaic GNSS modules. This partnership resulted in the release of various evaluation boards and plug-and-play systems intended to simplify access to high-precision positioning technology for professionals and developers. A Market Portfolio Manager at Septentrio indicated that the cooperation aimed to support the adoption of their solutions in diverse fields such as robotics, automation, and timing. The new products were designed to be compatible with open-source community networks, facilitating easier integration into industrial and consumer applications.
• In September 2024, Quectel Wireless Solutions unveiled the LG290P, a quad-band GNSS module engineered for applications requiring high-precision positioning. During a major industry event, the company explained that the module supported all major satellite constellations and multiple frequency bands to ensure robust performance in challenging conditions. The LG290P was positioned to provide centimeter-level accuracy for use cases including precision agriculture, surveying, and robotics. Quectel also highlighted that this hardware was compatible with its correction services, offering a complete solution for customers seeking reliable location data in complex environments.

Key Market Players

• Broadcom Limited
• Furuno Electric Co., Ltd.
• Navika Electronics
• Quectel Wireless Solutions Co., Ltd.
• Skyworks Solutions, Inc.
• U-Blox Holding AG
• Qualcomm Incorporated
• MediaTek Inc.
• Intel Corporation
• STMicroelectronics NV.

By Device Type	By Application	By End-user Industry	By Region
Smartphones Tablets and Wearables Personal Tracking Devices Low-power Asset Trackers In-vehicle Systems Drones	Navigation Mapping Location-Based Services Surveying Telematics Timing and Synchronization Others	Automotive Aviation Consumer Electronics	North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa

Report Scope:

In this report, the Global Navigation Satellite System Chip Market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

• Navigation Satellite System Chip Market, By Device Type:

• Smartphones
• Tablets and Wearables
• Personal Tracking Devices
• Low-power Asset Trackers
• In-vehicle Systems
• Drones

• Navigation Satellite System Chip Market, By Application:

• Navigation
• Mapping
• Location-Based Services
• Surveying
• Telematics
• Timing and Synchronization
• Others

• Navigation Satellite System Chip Market, By End-user Industry:

• Automotive
• Aviation
• Consumer Electronics

• Navigation Satellite System Chip Market, By Region:

• North America
• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• Europe
• France
• United Kingdom
• Italy
• Germany
• Spain
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• Australia
• South Korea
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Middle East & Africa
• South Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE