China’s satellite navigation officials intend to have an operational GPS system covering all of Asia by 2010. However, the officials are giving few details on the deployment plans for their GPS system. China is yet to complete the frequency coordination with the United States, Europe, Russia and others despite the fact that it is a member of the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICGNSS) which was founded to ensure global interoperability of navigation satellite networks.

According to Space.com, Chinese officials said at the Toulouse Space Show that China’s global Compass/Beidou system would be fully compatible with the U.S. GPS, European Galileo, and Russian Glonass global navigation constellations.

Japanese officials have expressed concerns about the Chinese plans because Japan is developing its own regional system called the Quazi Zenith Satellite Systems which will have three satellites in orbit with an apogee over Japan and Asia. When the U.S., Russian, Chinese and European medium Earth satellites are added together there could be 120 operational navigation satellites in medium Earth orbit.

The Chinese satellite system will include an encrypted channel, presumably for use by the Chinese military.