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10th December 2004 - Location-Based Services (LBS)
in the US wireless consumer market may finally be poised
to realize their long-hyped potential, according to
In-Stat/MDR (http://www.instat.com). With Enhanced 911
capabilities deployed in many areas and a fast-growing
base of subscribers owning location-capable handsets,
wireless operators are beginning to turn their attention
to addressing the significant market potential for commercial
LBS, the high tech research firm says.
2005 will be a banner year for carrier deployments
of LBS, driven initially by the integration of location
capabilities into existing services such as mobile web
browsing, information applications, and directory assistance.
In 2006 and beyond, as the market grows, consumers will
begin to see more advanced LBS applications such as
user-configured tracking services and location-enabled
games.
In-Stat/MDR's recent Consumer Mobility Study (CMS)
of more than 1,000 respondents revealed that 85.6% of
wireless subscribers, representing a full range of demographic
and behavioral groups, are interested in one or more
LBS applications. Of that group, 56.7% stated that they
would be willing to pay a premium fee for LBS features.
In-Stat/MDR's research indicates that, as a category,
LBS holds much broader mass-market appeal among wireless
subscribers than other wireless data services such as
short messaging service (SMS), ring tones, and mobile
games.
The survey also found that consumers were most interested
in location services related to navigation and local
information:
- Driving directions
- Maps on the mobile phone display
- Local traffic updates
- Mobile city guides
- Local weather information
Among consumers surveyed, privacy issues were a concern
for 35.0% of respondents, but 81.8% of that group said
they would be less uncomfortable if they could easily
disable the location tracking technology on their phone.
82.3% of consumers also said that location-enabled Enhanced
911 services would make them feel safer.
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