In fact, GPS, like the internet we use, is a research project of the US military. 1964 was put into use for the first time. Since then, the United States has launched 24 positioning satellites, achieving all-weather global positioning without dead ends. The United States has always regarded itself as a "world policeman". This system is of great significance to the us military, even if it costs a lot, it is worthwhile. The us military also provides this set of civilian use. Of course, the positioning accuracy is far from that of the military. By 20 18, there will be 3.3 billion smartphones in the world, most of which support GPS positioning. It is conceivable that the United States can make a lot of money by charging a dollar for each mobile phone, but they have not done so.
Why does the United States provide its own GPS with a cost of tens of millions of dollars to the rest of the world for free? First of all, because the research cost of GPS has been spent, even if it is only used by the US military, the annual maintenance cost is so much. Let GPS serve more people!
In addition, there are strategic considerations for the United States to use GPS for free to other countries in the world. Many countries have given up developing their own positioning systems after using GPS, so the United States can control their positioning. This is a great threat to national security. China, India and other countries have all suffered the loss of GPS in the United States. Turning off the positioning at the critical moment will be completely blind, which is also the reason why China developed the Beidou navigation system.
From a commercial point of view, the United States can indeed sell money with GPS, but this involves a problem: Americans must apply for patents if they want to make a profit. Not to mention that the US military, the owner of GPS, is not a profit-making company at all. Once applying for a patent, it is unacceptable for the United States to disclose technical details. In fact, the principle and signals of GPS are public, and only satellite data is confidential, which is why smart terminals such as mobile phones now have positioning modules, which can work without relying on the US military.
Of course, strictly speaking, GPS is not completely free. The United States has long charged licensing fees for positioning chips on our mobile phones. Moreover, some professional navigation equipment or handheld GPS terminals are also very expensive, including the money paid to Americans. In short, relying on American GPS is not reliable. Beidou navigation developed by China has achieved coverage in the Asia-Pacific region, and many domestic mobile phones can also use Beidou positioning, which really freed us from the control of the United States.