The Indian navigation system similar to GPS is called NavIC, which stands for Navigation with Indian Constellation. It is an autonomous regional satellite navigation system developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to provide accurate positioning and timing services in India and its surrounding regions. NavIC consists of a constellation of seven satellites positioned 24,000 km above Earth. It was developed partly because access to foreign government-controlled global navigation satellite systems is not guaranteed in hostile situations, as happened to the Indian military in 1999 when the United States denied an Indian request for GPS data for the Kargil region, which would have provided vital information. NavIC provides real-time positioning and timing services, and it covers India and a region extending 1500 km around it. The Indian government wants to reduce dependence on foreign systems, including GPS, and says NavIC provides more accurate domestic navigation and that its use would benefit the economy.