Sensis and Telstra searching for GPS supremacy

by Alex Zaharov-Reutt

Monday, 08 September 2008

Page 1 of 3 ! Want to make money from GPS? You can sell GPS mapping devices, sell the maps, or sell a monthly subscription to end users. Sensis is doing all three, and more, with the new version of Whereis Navigator further challenging GPS competitors in the search for more paying customers! In Australia, the two big digital mapping companies are Sensis, a wholly owned subsidiary of Telstra, and Navteq, and wholly owned (yet separate) subsidiary of Nokia. Nokia saw GPS and navigation as such an important area that they paid US $8 billion to buy Navteq, but clearly, lots of other companies see navigation as very important, too. In Australia, the dominant provider of digital maps to GPS manufacturers is Sensis, who focuses on Australia. Navteq works on a worldwide basis, covering the entire planet, and have Australian operations, too. Both companies fight to supply maps and other data to GPS satnav manufacturers, and while most companies in Australia have chosen Sensis/Whereis maps, Navteq has had a few wins of its own, as well as being the maps of choice for all GPS enabled Nokia smartphones. Both companies are massively upgrading their mapping data for future versions, but we’re already seeing advancements on the latest, more advanced models, such as spoken street names with correct pronunciations (instead of just “turn left”) and the display of speed limits for different streets. Future maps promise all kinds of additional data, and I’ll go into those in a future article. But, as is common in business, we have companies that are competing, often on many different levels, and Sensis’ latest announcement on “Whereis Navigator”, is such a multi-layered competitor. What Sensis have done is to join forces with GPS manufacturer Garmin International to provide advanced GPS navigation software for the GPS-equipped devices from Nokia, Windows Mobile (with an initial focus on the Palm Treo Pro) and RIM with the BlackBerry Bold. Given that Nokia equipped GPS devices already come with Nokia’s own mapping software, maps from Navteq and the ability to buy GPS mapping data for “walk and drive” using your credit card, Sensis’ new “Whereis Navigator” is a direct competitive threat, at least in Australia. Mr Gregan McMahon, Group Manager, Sensis Mobile, explained that Whereis Navigator is a “premium navigation product” that provides “voice prompted, real time, turn-by-turn navigation” and “combines leading satellite navigation with comprehensive point of interest and other content information from Sensis’ Whereis mapping database, making the service one of the most intuitive in market.” But those aren’t the only advanced features that Whereis Navigator provides to users. What else does it offer – and how much does it cost, especially in comparison with standalone GPS devices? Please read on to page 2. << First page <   1 2 3 Next page > Last page - Post your comment >>

 

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