As technologies continue to advance and third-generation becomes more imminent, the mobile phone may be moving back into the place it began-the car.
An increasingly mobile work force has led many to believe wireless location-commerce and telematics may be the next best thing for the wireless industry. According to a recent Dain Rauscher Wessels report, the market for telematics hardware and software is projected to grow 57 percent annually until it reaches $23.7 billion in 2007.
But, the ongoing battle over the 3G network-of-choice, the race to meet FCC Phase II E911 deadlines, and growing concerns about driver distraction all pose challenges to the entire wireless communications industry, including those technologies designed specifically for vehicles.
Cellport Systems Inc., a provider of in-vehicle wireless communications and telematics systems, and location technology company Airbiquity Inc., which has capabilities to deliver GPS data to any wireless network, have jointly developed a telematics system that overcomes several of these obstacles. The Cellport 3000 Universal Hands-Free System uses Airbiquity’s aqLink and GPS technology to provide voice-activated location-based services over any network, on almost any phone.
Cellport offers a hands-free system that includes a docking station, to be built into an inconspicuous part of a car like the dashboard or armrest, and interchangeable adapters that lock different phones into the docking station for hands-free communication and battery charging. National auto part and service company, Pep Boys, is one of Cellport’s authorized installation partners, and others in the auto industry will offer installation in the future, Cellport said.
According to Cellport’s Doug Daniels, vice president of business development, the system currently caters to almost 75 percent of the wireless phones on the U.S. market and is continuing to expand. In addition, Cellport said it is currently working to establish national distribution partnerships with top wireless carriers.
Meanwhile, Airbiquity’s GPS Accessory, which combines the company’s aqLink and GPS technology, is capable of deploying location-commerce services over any wireless network, including CDMA, TDMA, GSM, iDEN and AMPS.
The solution will offer driving directions, roadside assistance, emergency services, and location-based concierge services, all activated by voice and delivered through automated speech. Although the system does pinpoint a driver’s location, Airbiquity’s vice president of marketing, Andrew Rimkus, emphasized privacy violation should not be a concern because only the driver requesting the location information will be able to access it.
The complete Cellport-Airbiquity hands-free GPS system is expected to be available in the fourth quarter of 2001.
