July 2026 marks one year since the initial service for Galileo’s Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) has been declared operational, a milestone in the continued evolution of Galileo services for users worldwide.
For everyday users, satellite navigation often feels invisible: a dot on a digital map. But behind this application is a constant exchange of signals between satellites and receivers on the ground – and those signals can be targeted by interference or spoofing.
Declared operational on 24 July 2025, OSNMA provides Galileo users with the means to verify that navigation information comes from Galileo itself and has not been tampered with. OSNMA helps mitigate spoofing, where false information is sent to mislead a receiver about its location or time.
By embedding a digital signature into Galileo’s existing Open Service signal, OSNMA allows compatible receivers to verify that the navigation data is authentic. Because the OSNMA is transmitted in the Galileo Open Service signal, which is already used in most devices, receivers only need to implement the protocol and download the certified public keys from the European GNSS Service Centre (GSC) website. OSNMA service relies as well on the implementation of dedicated logic on the receiver side to guarantee the end-to-end authentication process.
Over the past 12 months, OSNMA has successfully transitioned from a pioneering development project to an operational service, moving beyond demonstration into real-world applications. OSNMA is already implemented by several manufacturers in professional receivers- from smart tachographs to Timing and Synchronisation receivers. Follow the GSC webpage to learn about the list of receivers implementing Galileo OSNMA.
While the service does not prevent spoofing or offer protection against jamming, it significantly mitigates the impact of spoofing attacks by enabling systems to identify unauthenticated navigation data.
Powering secure navigation
EUSPA remains at the heart of this success. The agency develops and operates the Galileo OSNMA infrastructure, oversees service performance, and ensures that it is delivered with high quality, in line with the commitments defined in the Service Definition Document (SDD). It monitors quality levels and provides the necessary public cryptographic material via the European GNSS Service Centre. Working closely with manufacturers, it supports OSNMA adoption across a wide range of professional consumer market segments.
The first year has seen growing uptake, demonstrating the increasing importance of trusted positioning and timing data. It also reflects the value manufacturers place on this authentication capability across sectors including agriculture, aviation, maritime and automotive.
In road transport, Smart Tachograph version 2 became the first application designed to benefit from OSNMA functionality. Since December 2025, all newly registered EU trucks and buses must have a smart tachograph with OSNMA functionality.
The PATROL project, supported by EUSPA through the Fundamental Elements programme, demonstrated how Galileo OSNMA can be integrated into smart tachographs. The project used a STMicroelectronics GNSS receiver chip, combining OSNMA with additional anti-spoofing techniques to strengthen the trustworthiness of positional data.
In professional applications, Furuno Electric presented a GNSS timing solution integrating Galileo OSNMA to support trusted timing for critical infrastructure applications. Following a successful pilot of the Galileo-enabled Asset Tracking Demonstrator in the Black Sea, Romania is also among the first countries to require Galileo-authenticated positioning in new patrol vessels, demonstrating the growing uptake of OSNMA for secure maritime navigation.
For smaller connected devices, semiconductor company Qualinx has integrated OSNMA directly into the hardware of its chip, developed with EUSPA’s support. This extends authenticated positioning capabilities to mass-market devices such as wearables and asset trackers, a segment that has so far had limited access to authenticated GNSS.
As more manufacturers integrate authentication into their product lines, new possibilities are emerging across areas such as mobile payments, insurance telematics, autonomous driving, drone navigation, timing and synchronisation, among others.
Steering the service forward
OSNMA is the result of more than a decade of research, testing and development. The first blueprints were drawn up in 2013, and its initial service declaration in 2025 has been part of a broader effort to make satellite navigation more secure and reliable.
Beyond operational service provision, EUSPA continues to support the wider adoption of OSNMA by engaging with receiver manufacturers, developers and users, helping to ensure that future service evolution reflects operational needs and market demand.
As we celebrate this one-year anniversary, EUSPA is already steering the service towards its next evolution. Future enhancements to OSNMA will extend authentication to additional Galileo navigation datasets and introduce authentication information for Global Positioning System broadcast navigation data. These developments will be complemented by the Galileo Signal Authentication Service, which will authenticate the ranging signal itself, moving Galileo closer to a fully authenticated positioning solution.
About Galileo
Galileo, the EU´s Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), provides improved navigation, positioning and timing information. More than 4 billion users are already benefitting from Galileo.
The Galileo Programme is owned by the EU. The European Commission, as the Programme Manager, oversees the implementation of all activities. EUSPA is responsible for the operational management of the services, ensuring that they are delivered with the defined performance and without interruption. Galileo's system design and system evolution are entrusted by EUSPA to ESA.
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