Networks In Motion (NIM), the award-winning wireless navigation and location-based services (LBS) company, announced that it has surpassed two million paid users of its real-time navigation and local search services on GPS-enabled mobile phones based on the company’s LBS NavBuilder™ platform.
Networks In Motion’s LBS platform delivers turn-by-turn, voice-prompted directions with auto-rerouting if a turn is missed, as well as local search of nearly 14 million points of interest and detailed color maps that can be quickly panned and zoomed. Varying by wireless carrier, the subscription typically costs $9.99 per month or $2.99 per day.
Many of North America’s wireless carriers’ navigation and local search applications are powered by Networks In Motion’s NavBuilder platform. NIM is also the power behind some specialized third-party branded LBS applications. These partnerships include AAA, which provides AAA Mobile® to consumers—transforming the mobile phone into a powerful navigation device and travel companion—Gearworks, which offers mobile workforce management products, and Trimble, which offers outdoor, fitness and geocaching enthusiasts a family of lifestyle applications for GPS-enabled mobile phones.
“We were the first to cross one million paid subscribers in May this year and are proud to be the first to exceed two million paid users only four months later; especially since acquiring the first million took 15 months,” said Doug Antone, president and CEO of Networks In Motion. “This is proof that the mobile phone navigation market is quickly accelerating and with all our partnerships and unique products, NIM is positioned to remain the leader.”
According to analyst Clem Driscoll, C.J. Driscoll & Associates, “Our research shows that consumers demand navigation solutions that are fast, accurate, easy to use, and economical. The rapid growth rate of the mobile phone navigation market confirms that leading mobile phone navigation suppliers are delivering solutions that meet these demands. We expect to see continued strong consumer adoption of mobile phone navigation services.”
According to Frost & Sullivan, the total U.S. LBS market will exceed $600 million by 2008 and according to ABI Research, mobile phone LBS will reach 335 million subscribers worldwide by 2011.
