The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued an order yesterday approving the use of Galileo Global Navigation Satellite System in the United States. This means that smartphones and other gadgets in the US, owned by individuals or businesses, will be able to access the European Union’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) known as Galileo.

Simply put, smartphones in the US will be able to communicate, on certain frequencies, with non-US (EU) satellites. This will result in more accurate positioning and navigation. The information will complement the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), which is what is currently used on most connected handsets.

Many, if not most of the recent smartphones already support Galileo. For those that don’t, the FCC has approved two specific Galileo frequencies which are the same as those used by GPS Radionavigation-Satellite Service (RNSS) frequencies in the US.

Hit the source link to access the order (PDF) if you want to know more about the technical details.