New Delhi, Nov. 16: European Space Authority and Indian Space and Research Organisation officials will meet in a few weeks to sort out their positions on the proposed Galileo Satellite Navigation Project.

The billion-dollar global satellite system, which has been described as virtually the Internet of global navigation, will be used for mobile telephony, air traffic control and surveillance.

It will also be useful for the military, particularly to track illegal infiltration across the border ? a long-standing problem that poses a serious threat to India?s security.

European Union officials say negotiations between the two sides on the project have been progressing satisfactorily but some things need to be clarified. Scientists and senior officials of the two space agencies could meet by the month-end or early December. A clear picture on when India can sign up for the global system could emerge after the meeting.

India has expressed its wish to become a stockholder in the project. The matter came up for discussion at the India-EU summit at The Hague earlier this month to which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh led a delegation.

The Galileo is likely to be the only competition to the Global Position System that the Americans already have and the Global Navigation Sputnik System of Glasnos, which Russia plans to build. But unlike those systems, Galileo will be operated commercially under civilian, not military supervision.

Once ready, Galileo will be able to provide guidance to firefighters and ambulance workers and allow police and rescue workers rapid intervention. It could also make air traffic more safe and efficient and help improve the transport system.

The system could provide better environment protection by helping identify polluters, monitor the atmosphere and the movement of wild animals.

China has already committed $200 million to the project. There has been no official announcement about how much money India will have to commit, but it is thought Delhi will have to cough up around $300 million if it becomes a stockholder in Galileo.

The fully deployed Galileo system will have 30 satellites and will be inter-operable with the American GPS and Russia?s Glasnos to help the user to take a position with the same receiver from any of the satellites in any combination.

By offering dual frequencies as standard, Galileo proposes to deliver real-time positioning accuracy down to a few metres ? unprecedented for a publicly available system. This will make the system suitable for operations where safety is crucial such as running of trains, guiding cars and helping aircraft touch down.

A joint India-EU statement after the recent summit said: ?We welcome the progress in the ongoing discussions on the EU-India draft cooperation agreement on the Galileo Satellite Navigation Project. It will ensure India?s equitable participation in Galileo space, ground and user segments and will guarantee the availability of highest quality signals over the Indian territory.?

It added: ?Considering that India has well proven capabilities in space, satellite and navigation-related activities, the agreement will provide an important positive impulse for India and European industrial cooperation in many high-tech areas.?