Satellite navigation by phone on the rise
Source: Agencies |
April 17, 2010, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
EUROPEANS are increasingly using their mobile phones for satellite navigation in cars, directly threatening the personal navigation industry, research firm comScore said yesterday.
Competition for satellite navigation users has increased this year as the world's largest cell phone maker Nokia in January followed Google in starting to offer free navigation on phones.
In February, 21.1 million consumers in five large European markets -- Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Italy -- used their cell phones for navigation, 68 percent more than a year ago, comScore said.
This compares to 20.4 million personal navigation devices sold in those markets in 2008 and 2009, according to research firm GfK.
Personal navigation device makers like TomTom and Garmin have seen in-car navigation as their stronghold, but comScore said cars are already the most common place to use cell phone navigation.
Some 68 percent of phone navigation users accessed the service in a car, with 27 percent doing so while walking, running or cycling.
ComScore said mobile subscribers using handsets with advanced positioning technology, known as assisted GPS (A-GPS), are even more likely to use maps in a vehicle.
"The higher incidence of A-GPS usage in cars suggests that the superior speed and precision in these devices are being used for more than just identifying locations -- they are being used as full in-car navigation systems," said analyst Alistair Hill.
Competition for satellite navigation users has increased this year as the world's largest cell phone maker Nokia in January followed Google in starting to offer free navigation on phones.
In February, 21.1 million consumers in five large European markets -- Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Italy -- used their cell phones for navigation, 68 percent more than a year ago, comScore said.
This compares to 20.4 million personal navigation devices sold in those markets in 2008 and 2009, according to research firm GfK.
Personal navigation device makers like TomTom and Garmin have seen in-car navigation as their stronghold, but comScore said cars are already the most common place to use cell phone navigation.
Some 68 percent of phone navigation users accessed the service in a car, with 27 percent doing so while walking, running or cycling.
ComScore said mobile subscribers using handsets with advanced positioning technology, known as assisted GPS (A-GPS), are even more likely to use maps in a vehicle.
"The higher incidence of A-GPS usage in cars suggests that the superior speed and precision in these devices are being used for more than just identifying locations -- they are being used as full in-car navigation systems," said analyst Alistair Hill.
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