Satellite navigation service providers in the country are changing tack after failing to woo customers with in-car devices.
Satellite navigation service providers in the country are changing tack after failing to woo customers with in-car devices.
They are now looking at the burgeoning smart phone market to popularise the concept.
SatNav Technologies, a Hyderabad based IT products company and a pioneer of GPS technology in India, last week introduced a voice-based navigation direction service — SatGuide LCU (Lost? Need Directions? Call Us!) — for cell phone users. LCU, a solution that integrates the yellow pages and a directory, is available to Reliance Infocomm users for a fee.
The service is available to subscribers of other telecom players, too. However, their handsets would have to be Asus or HTC, with which SatNav has tied up. These users will have to buy microSD (secure digital) cards with digitised maps stored on them. If a subscriber needs further directions, he can buy a voucher and call the SatNav helpline.
Amit Prasad, chief executive officer and founder managing director, SatNav Technologies, said, “GPS is a new phenomenon in India and not all the sections of the society are able to access this service, which is still considered a luxury. To break this perceived barrier, we have introduced a prepaid voucher scheme with toll-free calling.”
He said unlike Nokia maps, where one needs internet to navigate, the company’s application is an on-board solution. The software can be used on Windows or Symbian mobile phones or personal digital assistants (PDAs).
Meanwhile, MapmyIndia, a global positioning system (GPS) navigation devices provider, has started offering personalised navigation devices (PNDs) in cars. However, PNDs cost upwards of Rs 13,000 and Indian consumers don’t like spending more than Rs 10,000 on such devices. This is why the company has tied up with handset maker Motorola to tap the mobiles market, which has been growing at a rapid pace. There are already 360 million cell phone users in India, with 10 million being added every month.
Rohan Verma, the director of MapmyIndia, said, “We have received $9 million investment from Qualcomm, a leader in wireless technologies, to empower the entire telecom, automotive and internet ecosystem with location-based navigation. With the recent launch of 3G in India, and growing demand for rich data services, device manufacturers and mobile operators can go to market quickly today with GPS navigation and advanced location-based services on handsets and PNDs.”
While most phones cannot support such advanced navigation software, SatNav and MapmyIndia are hopeful that the mobiles industry will take to this service well. Both Prasad and Verma said that PNDs and mobile navigation services are growing markets. “For the next 3 years, mobile phones will drive the market and by that time, through better distribution network, PNDs will pick up, too,” Prasad said. Verma said that it’s easy for a user to adopt navigation on mobile phones and then upgrade to a PND after he becomes accustomed to it.
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