[January 18, 2001]

Airbiquity, Televigation Announce GPS-Enabled, Voice-Activated Location Application For Wireless Users

Airbiquity, an integrator of wireless voice and data solutions for mobile devices, and Televigation, a provider of mobile phone navigation technology, announced the first Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled, voice-activated, location-driven application in a complete, end-to-end solution, representing a new revenue opportunity for wireless carriers, application service providers, Internet portals, telematics providers, roadside assistance providers and personal security companies.

The GPS-enabled voice-activated application enables location services, such as traffic reports, turn- by-turn driving directions and nearby business searches, based on the actual position of the user. The GPS-based application resolves the most common issue for wireless callers with location-sensitive services: knowing their exact position, which is not obvious when driving on a highway or in an unknown city. Location capability is provided by Airbiquity's GPS Accessory, a retrofittable device consisting of GPS technology embedded in the battery of Nokia wireless phones, the most widely used mobile phones on the market today. Voice activated navigation services are provided by Televigation.

Users can find the nearest ATM, restaurant, or gas station, get driving directions to an address, or receive personalized traffic reports, based on his/her current position, without the need to input an address, zip code, caller ID, or other inconvenient or less accurate means of determining the origin.

"Voice is the most immediate of interfaces, and in location services, hands-free immediacy is going to be very important," Mark Plakias, vice president of voice and wireless at The Kelsey Group, a technology research firm that focuses on the wireless voice and data space. "We see location services generating an $11 billion industry by 2005 in the US alone, and GPS/speech scenarios will drive much of that revenue."

Airbiquity's GPS Accessory pinpoints a subscriber's actual position and sends it to Airbiquity aqServer that transforms the encoded information into a clear latitude/longitude data. This is then sent to Televigation's voice- activated navigation server, which determines the exact address. The wireless user can then interact with Televigation's server via voice to access information such as driving directions, yellow page search and traffic reports. Connecting Airbiquity's GPS Accessory to Televigation's voice- activated navigation server gives wireless phone users the ability to receive spoken location information with the push of a button.

"Televigation's voice-activated navigation products and Airbiquity's GPS Accessory bring location-based services to the next level of convenience and ease of use for wireless users," said Sammy Nassar, vice president of business development for Televigation. "Service providers, like roadside assistance or travel agencies, will be able to enhance their offerings with value-added services that can ultimately generate more revenue."

"Airbiquity's retrofittable GPS Accessory allows millions of Nokia wireless phones to send highly accurate location information to Televigation's navigation platform during a wireless call," said Andy Rimkus, vice president of marketing for Airbiquity. "The service does not use a visual menu, which reduces driver distraction. In addition, Airbiquity's "Push-to-Pinpoint" implementation protects consumer privacy, which allows users to enable and disable the sending of location information."

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