Other, Hybrid Technologies Will Give 25 Percent of Locations by 2014

January 19, 2009

Non-satellite-based, alternative positioning technologies such as Wi-Fi and Cell-ID will become increasingly important as location-based services (LBS) applications such as social networking, local search, advertising, and geo-tagging come into play in urban and indoor environments where GPS encounters obstructions, according to Allied Business Intelligence.

"The future will be about hybrid positioning systems, combining A-GPS, Cell-ID, Wi-Fi, cellular, motion sensors, and even TV broadcast and proximity technologies such as Bluetooth, NFC, and RFID. A-GPS, Wi-Fi, and Cell-ID will be the winning combination offering accuracy, availability, interoperability, and short fix times at low cost. It will represent 25% of all positioning solutions by 2014. Standalone Cell-ID and/or Wi-Fi will remain important in regions with low GPS handset penetration."

While many barriers such as handset penetration levels and the lack of open platforms still hinder the adoption of alternative positioning methods, the licensing of Skyhook Wireless's Wi-Fi positioning to GPS-chipset vendors Broadcom, Qualcomm, SiRF, and CSR will contribute to widespread availability.

Similarly, Sprint's recent decision to allow third-party developers access to its network-based location platform via location aggregators such as Wavemarket, Loc-Aid, and uLocate will stimulate the use of hybrid positioning.

Major vendors such as Google are building their own reference databases of cell-tower and Wi-Fi hotspot locations via user-generated content or self-learning mechanisms, allowing them to offer LBS services independent of carriers. They may make their location assets available to smaller vendors, further endangering the position of the carriers

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