BEIJING — An integration of 5G and the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) is expected to become the most important infrastructure in the era of intelligence, said an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Liu Jingnan, also a professor at Wuhan University, expressed his confidence in the vast number of opportunities and innovative technologies emerging from the integration of 5G and BDS, said a report in the Science and Technology Daily.

The timing accuracy of the BDS system ranges from 20 to 30 nanoseconds, which can reach one nanosecond or even less through ground-based and space-based enhancements. The real-time positioning accuracy can reach one centimeter, Liu said.

As infrastructure in the era of intelligence, 5G has the advantages of more bandwidth, larger capacity, and large-scale connectivity, providing basic support to industries such as virtual reality, intelligent manufacturing, and autonomous driving.

However, problems like the millisecond delay and virtual network location of 5G also restrict the remote control of driverless vehicles, Liu said, adding that the BDS system is the solution.

The system provides navigation signals of multiple frequencies. It also for the first time integrates navigation and communication capabilities and can provide navigation services, short message communication, satellite-based augmentation, as well as precise positioning.

The integration of 5G and BDS is expected to serve fields including the self-driving industry. Besides, it projects the future development of the system by integrating with new technologies, such as big data and artificial intelligence, which will help promote change in production and lifestyle, as well as the innovation of business models.

In the mid-1990s, Liu led his team to participate in BDS research. From the BDS-1 to BDS-3, the team has conquered many key technologies of the system, said the report.

On June 23, China launched the last BDS satellite, the 55th in the BeiDou family, marking the completion of the deployment of its own global navigation constellation.