GPS

UK firm pitches alternative GPS

UK-based defence firm BAE Systems has introduced a location fixing technology designed to make GPS more accurate, or replace the ageing satellite system altogether in cases where a signal is unobtainable.

Hailo: London cab calling

Russell Hall, London cabbie and founder of Black Cab calling service Hailo, gives us the pitch.

FCC grounds LightSquared’s plans

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has said that it plans to indefinitely suspend a conditional waiver that would permit LightSquared to build a ground-based LTE network using satellite spectrum. The decision was made following a recommendation from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which said that it performed a “substantial amount of testing and analysis” regarding LightSquare’s plans and the impact they would have on GPS services.

LightSquared and GPS will never work together says report

LightSquared, the aspiring US LTE carrier, has received a hammer blow to its hopes of shaking up the US market with a wholesale LTE network from a damning report released last week by the executive committee for Space-based Positioning Navigation & Timing (PNT).

Europe’s own GPS satellites ready for launch

A project to provide Europe with more reliable satellite navigation technology is nearing fruition after the European Commission (EC) announced that the first two satellite-navigation spacecraft are ready for launch.

Falcone blames existing GPS players for LightSquared interference issues

Philip Falcone, manager of hedge fund Harbinger Investments, which funds US wholesale LTE/satellite player LightSquared, has hit back at the US interest group the Coalition to Save our GPS, claiming that interference problems are the fault of incumbent GPS users, and not of LightSquared. In an interview with US broadcaster CNBC, Falcone said that existing GPS users did not apply the “proper filtering” to their devices and that “we’re not interfering with them; they’re interfering with us.”

Another blow for LightSquared

Greenfield operator LightSquared’s woes look set to continue, with news that a US House of Representative’s committee has passed a bill blocking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from granting the would-be wholesaler a waiver it needs to move forward.

LightSquared plans hit by GPS interference blow

US wholesale carrier LightSquared’s proposed mobile network does cause interfere with local GPS signals, a US government agency has confirmed. The news comes as a blow to LightSquared, which is hoping to be a disruptive force in US telecoms space by offering a country-wide LTE network on a wholesale basis for third-parties to run services over.

iPhone finds free navigation with Skobbler

Competition is certainly warming up in the navigation space, with iPhone users finally getting a free turn by turn offering in the shape of Skobbler. In partnership with the OpenStreetMap community, Skobbler has made some waves in the market with its community-based approach to mapping and navigation.

Vodafone navigation unit at dead end

Just over a year ago, monster carrier Vodafone showed just how serious it was about the navigation space, by spending €26m on the purchase of Swedish navigation and location-based services firm Wayfinder.

Estonian operator trials SIM-embedded GPS tech

Estonian operator EMT said Wednesday that it has completed field trials of A-GPS technology embedded into the SIM card, allowing location based services (LBS) to be deployed to legacy handsets.

O2 and Telmap join forces in navigation deal

UK carrier O2 announced on Monday that it has struck a deal with mobile navigation specialist Telmap which will see that firm’s personal navigation and mapping service deployed on the majority of GPS-enabled handsets sold by the operator.

Back to your routes

A proven success for the likes of Garmin and TomTom, navigation services are going mobile. Advances in handset form factor and functionality could enable the cellular industry to position the mobile phone as the heir to the SatNav kingdom.