The Business - TomTom-Tele Atlas Deal Approved

June 1, 2008 GPS World

» MASS MARKET OEM

TomTom-Tele Atlas Deal Approved

After a six-month review by European antitrust officials, Netherlands-based TomTom received unconditional approval May 14 to proceed with its €2.9 billion ($4.5 billion) acquisition of digital mapmaker Tele Atlas.

TomTom originally announced merger plans last year; in November 2007 the European Commission, which handles antitrust regulatory duties within the European Union, initiated a second-phase review — it does so in only 3 percent of the mergers that it reviews. During that time, TomTom and regulators haggled over the question of future licensing of Tele Atlas maps. The commission said that the merger would not significantly impede effective competition in Europe.

“After thorough investigation, I am now satisfied that the innovation and competition we have seen in sat navs until now will continue after this merger, and that consumers will continue to benefit from new and innovative products,” said Neelie Kroes, competition commissioner.

The commission said its investigation focused on the merged company’s ability and incentive to increase the costs of other personal navigation device (PND) manufacturers for digital maps, or to limit their access to these maps. But it concluded that the merged company would be unlikely to pursue these strategies because its ability to restrict access to digital maps for other PND manufacturers would be limited by the presence of Tele Atlas competitor Navteq. Furthermore, sales of digital maps lost by Tele Atlas would not be compensated by additional sales of PNDs, the commission said. TomTom said all Tele Atlas customers will have access to the same maps, at the same time, and will pay a comparable price.

In related news, Navteq is the object of a merger with mobile phone giant Nokia; that plan is also undergoing a second-phase review by the European Commission which is still ongoing, the commission said.

» SYSTEM DESIGN & TEST

Spirent Improves GSS8000; Pens China Deal

Spirent Communications unveiled in May improvements to the high-dynamic capabilities on its Spirent GSS8000 GNSS simulation system.

The GSS8000 supports up to 20,000 g signal dynamics, up to 120,000 m/s velocity, and 50 Hz processing rates, according to Spirent. Motion data can be generated using its on-board vehicle models or using real-time, high-rate host vehicle trajectory data over a remote interface; the GSS8000 supports full 6-degrees-of-freedom trajectory data. Low-latency hardware-in-the-loop capability is standard with synchronization and timing facilitated via 1 PPS in/out and 10 MHz clock inputs, the company said.

The Spirent GSS8000 is also designed to support the company’s range of options and extensions for testing advanced navigation and positioning systems.

A-GPS Testing for China. Spirent Communications has signed an agreement with Beijing-based China Telecommunications Technology Labs (CTTL) for assisted-GPS testing in China. Under the agreement, CTTL will use the Spirent ULTS Location Test System as its standard platform to test the performance of GSM and WCDMA handsets for A-GPS RF minimum performance, signaling conformance, and secure user plane (SUPL). CTTL will cooperate with Spirent for test validation and re-validation work with Spirent ULTS over the next three years, the company said.

CTTL will also use the Spirent ULTS to offer commercial A-GPS conformance test services to its customers. In addition, Spirent will apply its A-GPS standards development experience by cooperating with CTTL to develop an A-GPS standard specific to China’s needs, according to the two companies.

» SURVEY & AGRICULTURE

KVH, NovAtel Integrate GPS, Fiber Optic Gyros

KVH Industries Inc. and manufacturer NovAtel Inc. unveiled May 7 the KVH CNS-5000, a self-contained navigation system that combines fiber optic gyro (FOG)-based inertial measurement technology from KVH with GPS from NovAtel.

The CNS-5000 is designed specifically for demanding commercial applications, such as dynamic surveying, precision agriculture, container terminal management, and autonomous vehicle navigation.

The coupling of GPS and inertial measurement technologies in the CNS-5000 optimizes raw GPS and inertial data, delivering position, velocity and attitude data, according to KVH. Built entirely of commercial components and rugged enough to operate in demanding conditions, the device is also designed to meet COTS requirements, the company said.

» TRANSPORTATION

NXP, Siemens to Develop Private Car Toll System

NXP and Siemens Mobility said May 6 they are developing NXP’s Automotive Telematics On-Board Unit Platform (ATOP) for automatic road-toll collection in private cars based on GPS and cellular communication. ATOP will be based on a single chip that incorporates both GPS and GSM cores, the companies said. Users will be able to install the device in their vehicles within a matter of minutes. The companies hope to have ATOP on the market by the first half of 2010.

NXP will supply a chip and basic software which combines all the functions for toll collection such as GPS, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), and Near Field Communication (NFC) modules. Interfaces for flexible telematics applications such as additional traffic information, including the Smart X high-safety application, will also be provided on a single-chip platform, according to NXP. Siemens will develop the on-board unit and integrate the single chip and software from NXP.

» MASS MARKET OEM

Trimble Introduces Copernicus II

Trimble has introduced the Copernicus II GPS receiver — a thumbnail-sized, surface-mount, high-sensitivity module. Designed for portable handheld and tracking applications, the Copernicus II has advancements in signal tracking for applications working in poor signal environments and a high-sensitivity stationary timing mode for time synchronization, Trimble says. With its higher sensitivity, performance, and faster startup times, the module enables system integrators to easily add GPS capability to a mobile device with minimal affect on its size or battery life at an economical price, according to the company.

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