Thales Alenia Space has signed an agreement with Canada-based global IT and business consulting firm, CGI, to enhance and maintain security software for the Galileo satellite navigation system. Valued at approximately 14 million euros, the contract will last until the end of 2020. CGI experts are working on this strategic project from Rotterdam and Toulouse.
CGI will improve the functionality, robustness and reliability of Galileo's ground infrastructure, as well as enhance and maintain software for its Public Regulated Service Key Management Facility (PKMF). The Public Regulated Service (PRS) is one of the key features that distinguishes Galileo from other satellite navigation systems. It ensures that only government-authorized entities have access to Galileo's secure PRS signal that meets strict security standards in areas such as defense, law enforcement, customs, etc.
Galileo is the Global Navigation Satellite System built by the European Space Agency and operated by the European GNNS Agency on behalf of the European Union. It is the European alternative to the American Global Positioning System (GPS). Once Galileo becomes fully operational in 2020, citizens will benefit from more accurate positioning and timing data through Galileo-supported global navigation applications.
Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world. It has more than 40 years of experience in the space domain and delivers complex, mission-critical space software systems across Europe, Asia and North America, supporting programs from satellite navigation, communications and operations, to space-enabled applications.
With approximately 77,000 consultants and professionals across the globe, the company delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from IT and business consulting to systems integration, outsourcing services and intellectual property solutions. It works with clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results.
