China Rolls Out Short-Message BeiDou Chip for Smartphones

China completed development of a chip that will enable smartphones to send and receive communication signals with the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, the government said Monday.

Using smartphones with the chip, people will be able to send messages through BeiDou satellites in case of emergencies when regular mobile communication signals may be weak or communication facilities damaged, said Yang Changfeng, chief architect of the BeiDou satellite navigation system. The communication function will come on top of the already widely used BeiDou navigation features.