Latecomer's strategy: An assessment of BDS industrialization policy

The successful launch of the Chinese Beidou (Compass) Navigation Satellite System (hereafter refers to as BDS) makes it the third operational navigation satellite system capable of offering regional services after GPS and GLONASS in the end of 2012. Yet considering the dominant role of GPS in global GNSS market, it's a great challenge to maximize the utilization of other systems and cultivate competitive domestic navigation industries for all latecomers in the GNSS community. This paper analyzes the current strategy of BDS industrialization by a detailed review of current policy documents from both central and local government, examines the progress of BDS industrialization based on statistical data and expert interviews, and summarized the current strategy of BDS industrialization as indigenous in key domains and compatible in commercialization. Then a stakeholder analysis is conducted to analyze the consideration behind current strategy. This paper also comes up with several policy recommendations for Chinese decision makers' reference to improve BDS related policies in the future from a latecomer's perspective based on detailed comparison analysis of BDS's advantages and disadvantages.