However had Galileo predated GPS the great difference to the world would have been that the system would not be have been freely available to all - eurobeancounters would be counting royalties on a per reciever basis just like they collect TV license money.
Partly right of course, but it is planned, as far as i know, that the basic services are free. Only the high integrity, high precision services are gonna cost money, but as a paying customer of course you have certains rights and the relevant contracts will focus on guaranteed integrity and quality of service, especially in the aviation sector. However, at the moment Galileo is way behind its schedules and cost overruns are huge, so we have to wait and see when it will be available.