Pseudolite

A pseudolite ( pseudo english lite, portmanteau word from Greek pseudo " false, fake " and satellite) is a terrestrial station that transmits signals that mimic those of a satellite.

Pseudolites be built, for example, to locally increase the accuracy of satellite-based navigation systems such as GPS. Pseudolites appear as additional satellites for a GPS receiver.

The legal position of the transmit operation is unclear, because pseudolites transmit on frequencies that are reserved under the provisions of the ITU actually for satellites.

Pseudolites are also used to distribute signals for satellite radio in cities. In deep urban canyons between skyscrapers no reception would otherwise be possible. For the ground segment networks, the term ancillary terrestrial components (ATC ), in Europe Complementary Ground Component ( CGC ) has become naturalized in America.