Xiaomi, MediaTek and China Telecom unveil RTK GPS for 5G phones, cars and drones

Xiaomi, MediaTek and China Telecom have unveiled a new GPS system capable of pinpointing location down to a millimeter. The technology is built on RTK positioning (Real-Time Kinematic), previously used in professional surveying equipment and now adapted for smartphones, cars and smart-city infrastructure.

Conventional GPS places a user within several meters, but the new system cuts that error to fractions of a meter—and does it in just a few seconds. The leap comes from the blend of 5G networks, upgraded MediaTek chipsets and Xiaomi’s intelligent software that calculates a device’s position on the fly.

Such precision matters for autonomous transport, drones and urban infrastructure. Delivery services could pull up right to the door, while driverless cars would maneuver safely even in dense traffic.

RTK technology draws signals from multiple satellites and compares them with a ground-based reference station, ironing out the subtle errors that limit standard GPS. The method has powered agriculture, cartography and industrial robotics, but new chipsets and broad 5G coverage have made it fast and stable enough for mainstream use.

No official rollout date has been named, yet the developers are confident that millimeter-accurate GPS will become the standard ahead. In the coming years, the technology could appear in Xiaomi smartphones, electric vehicles and drones, delivering instant, pinpoint location. If the promise holds, it could quietly reshape how people and machines navigate the world.