UK pioneers radio-wave stations at ports to aid ships if GPS fails

London

BRITAIN has opened the world's first array of ground-based radio stations designed to help ships determine their positions and prevent collisions in the event of a failure of the GPS satellite system.

The seven stations, overlooking waters from Aberdeen in Scotland to the world's busiest sea lane at Dover, will beam low-frequency pulses allowing vessels to continue through breaks in global positioning system transmissions caused by solar storms or jamming, according the General Lighthouse Authorities of the United Kingdom and Ireland (GLAs), which will run the network.