GPS Techies - About 32 Percent of All GSM and WCDMA Handsets Sold Are Estimated to Have Integrated GPS or Galileo Receivers

GPS Techies

In 2010, about 32 Percent of All GSM and WCDMA Handsets Sold Are Estimated to Have Integrated GPS or Galileo Receivers

857 words
December 4, 2006
Business Wire

DUBLIN, Ireland - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Research and Markets ( http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c46400 ) has announced the addition of the Berg Insight report "GPS and Galileo in Mobile Handsets" to their offering.

How long will it take before satellite positioning technology appears in mass market handsets?

Berg Insight forecasts that more than 60 percent of all WCDMA devices sold in 2010 will have integrated GPS/Galileo receivers. The EU is most likely to follow the US and Japan in requiring high accuracy of mobile emergency calls from 2010 when the Galileo system will be operational. Demand is also driven by consumer applications such as navigation. Gain detailed insights about the complete GNSS value chain spanning from GPS/Galileo receiver developers and handset chipset vendors to handset manufacturers in this unique report.

Highlights from the report:

-- Overview of GPS and Galileo satellite positioning technology.

-- Technical introduction to GNSS in mobile handsets.

-- Profiles of leading GPS/Galileo receiver and handset chipset developers.

-- Overview of GPS-ready terminals by leading handset manufacturers.

-- Worldwide and regional forecasts for GPS/Galileo handset shipments until 2010.

Already in late 1999, the first GSM handsets with integrated GPS receivers were launched. These early models primarily targeted niche segments like people tracking, personal safety and navigation. Later, some attempts to make mass market GPS enabled handsets have been made, but until now, sales have been limited. In contrast, several million GPS enabled CDMA handsets have been sold around the world, primarily in the US, South Korea and Japan. In the US, an early driver for mass adoption of GPS enabled handsets was the US Enhanced 911 mandate. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has required all mobile operators to introduce high-accuracy positioning in order to enable precise location of mobile callers placing 911 emergency calls. So far, iDEN and CMDA operators have chosen A-GPS as the means of complying with the regulations. Because Qualcomm, the primary wireless chipset provider for CDMA handsets, integrates GPS cores into most wireless chipsets, most CDMA handsets already feature A-GPS. Moreover, CDMA networks are synchronised to GPS time and can therefore provide fine time aiding to GPS receivers, increasing the sensitivity and reducing the time-to-first-fix.

GSM and WCDMA networks are not synchronised to GPS time and cannot provide fine time aiding, consequently having to rely on aiding using ephemeris data or coarse time aiding. As a result, GSM and WCDMA handsets need more sensitive and more expensive GPS receivers to function well. Until now, GPS receivers have been too expensive and consumed too much power to be attractive for deployment in mass-market GSM/WCDMA handsets. However, recent technical developments have improved receiver performance enough to make the user experience satisfactory also for normal users. Increasing competition and production volumes have driven prices down to the point where integration has become viable for high-end handsets. Moreover, accelerating price reductions are expected in 2007 and 2008, enabling integration also in mass-market handsets.

Demand for GPS-enabled handsets from operators and end-users is increasing as consumer interest in LBS grows. Network operators see LBS as one source of new income that can offset declining voice revenues, as well as a possibility to leverage investments in positioning technology for locating emergency callers. Although not all location-based services are dependent on high accuracy positioning technologies, others, including tracking and navigation services benefit greatly from higher accuracy positioning. New standardised AGPS solutions enabling scalable, cost effective deployments of location technology with better compatibility between equipment from several manufacturers are increasing operator interest in A-GPS.

End-user interest in LBS is growing as new improved services and better handsets have enhanced the user experience and increased the perceived value. Handset manufacturers are increasingly addressing the opportunity to capitalise on the interest in LBS, especially in the form of personal navigation services. Currently, personal navigation devices, PNDs, are dominating the personal navigation market in most countries, but there is an increasing interest in handset based navigation services. Handset manufacturers can take advantage of this development in their efforts to motivate sales of replacement handsets in maturing markets by adding GPS receivers in new models. Today, most GPS enabled WCDMA handsets outside Japan are smartphones targeting the personal navigation segment. Already in 2007, an increasing number of models from large manufacturers are expected to reach the market. In 2010, about 32 percent of all GSM and WCDMA handsets sold are estimated to have integrated GPS or Galileo receivers as component cost declines and more users become familiar with the possibilities of location experiences.

Companies mentioned: - Galileo - GLONASS - Beidou - Global Locate - GloNav - NemeriX - NordNav - SiGe - SiRF - u-blox - u-Nav Microelectronics - Adcore-Tech - Agere Systems - Analog Devices - Broadcom - Ericsson Mobile Platforms - Infineon - NXP - Qualcomm - Texas Instruments - NTT DoCoMo - SoftBank - SK Telecom - Nokia - Motorola - Samsung - Sony Ericsson - LG Electronics - HTC - MiTAC - E-TEN

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c46400

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