Whats next for location-based services?
We are at an important fork in the road with respect to location-based services. LBS has been in our nomenclature for about ten years, even before GPS capabilities were in phones. But we have reached a tipping point recently. The majority of devices being shipped are GPS-capable; vehicle-based and portable navigation devices are closing in on mass market penetration; and a wave of exciting and innovative applications leveraging location is available from the various mobile “app stores.” The wireless industry has been investing in this area big-time, from Nokia’s acquisition of Navteq a little over a year ago to Ericsson’s recent deal with Networks in Motion and Google’s launch of the Latitude service. At the same time, location services have proven difficult to monetize. Only about 10 million customers in North America pay a monthly subscription fee for a distinct location-based service, such as Verizon Navigator or AT&T Navigator, the WHERE Widget platform, friend finder, or Loopt. Th
