TomTom, Nokia, Tele Atlas, Navteq and Garmin talk

13 February 2008, 10:11am

annover, Germany, February 13th 2008 - On March 7th, during the CeBIT 2008 exhibition in Hannover, Germany, the Navigation Day@CeBIT 2008 conference will delve deeper into what strategies current industry leaders need to deploy to guard against intensifying competition and market threats.

Navigation is no longer exclusively a luxury item. The launch of Nokia’s GPS enabled N95 mobile phone in 2007 signified the true beginning of mass market navigation and prices for Portable Navigation Devices (PNDs) have been eroded by Asian manufacturers who want to exploit low end market segments. Even car makers are partnering with CE providers in the hope to become more competitive.

Industry analyst and keynote speaker of the Navigation Day@CeBIT 2008 conference, Chris Jones from Canalys notes that:

“The LBS and navigation industry will be as challenging and exciting in 2008 as it was in 2007. PND price erosion is great news for consumers but tough for companies in the ecosystem. PND product differentiation is difficult and mobile phones vendors are looking to disrupt the market as they integrate GPS and navigation solutions into high-end handsets; while the promise of ultra-low cost in-vehicle navigation solutions remains still a promise.”

Mass market navigation means massive potential. Consumers are more familiar with the benefits of turn by turn directions and are increasingly warming to innovative location services. In a shift from directions to discovery, local search, traffic info and content on navigation devices mark significant changes in manufacturer business models to deliver connected navigation.

Navigation device manufacturers need to deploy dynamic services if they are to increase daily relevance to consumers and justify costs for high-end devices.

Deciding how to exploit demands for low-cost in-vehicle navigation and connected navigation with PNDs and mobile phones has proven tricky. During the Navigation Day @CeBIT 2008 conference, 32 major device and software providers will outline their delivery strategies to compelling next generation products.

During the CeBIT 2008 exhibition, this one day conference hosts 18 presentations and panel sessions from industry leaders including TomTom, Intel, Tele Atlas, Magellan, Delphi, Ford, Navteq and Garmin.

Speakers will debate how to promote the benefits of this rapidly evolving navigation market.

“The Navigation Day @CeBIT conference is an excellent opportunity to get the message across to a broad audience.” Franck Gaget, Marketing Director EMEA, Consumer Business Unit, NAVTEQ

A rare opportunity to hear announcements from rival market competitors, this event will unveil their future development plans.

Paul Reynolds, European Automotive Business Development Team Leader, Garmin stated that:

“this is a great opportunity to share our vision at the Telematics Update event with the Industry experts and PND manufacturers alike.”

All attendees need to pre-register for the event. For the full speaker line-up, agenda and more details please visit:

http://www.telematicsupdate.com/info/475

Contact: Abbie Badcock, Telematics Update, abbie@telematicsupdate.com +44 207 375 7581 for more details

About Telematics Update

Telematics Update provides a free quarterly magazine, weekly e-newsletters and business information for senior executives with an interest in wireless location technologies. Telematics Update has organised leading business conferences in Europe, the USA and Asia-Pacific since 2000.

www.telematicsupdate.com

Geo: International