GLONASS is an acronym that stands for Globalnaya Navigazionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema, or Global Navigation Satellite System. GLONASS is Russia's version of GPS (Global Positioning System).
GPS vs. GLONASS vs. Galileo: Which is the best GNSS?
The Soviet Union started development of GLONASS in 1976. GLONASS is the Russian Federal Space Agency's most expensive program, consuming a third of its budget in 2010.
The different versions of GLONASS are
A-GLONASS, Assisted GLONASS is very similar to GLONASS but A-GLONASS provides more features for smartphones. It provides features like turn-by-turn navigation, real-time traffic data and more. It uses the cell towers near your location to quickly lock your location using your data connection. A-GLONASS also improves performance in chipsets that come with GLONASS support.
