Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Limited (TTML), one of the fastest growing telecom services providers, today announced the launch of a unique Quickfinder A-GPS (Assisted Global Positioning System) service. The first-of-its-kind location-based service will be available exclusively to Tata Indicom subscribers, and is powered by Qualcomm’s QPoint solution and gpsOne technology integrated into Qualcomm chipsets.
QUICKFINDER will deliver advanced location-based services, enabling consumers and enterprises to pin-point locations of interest or track vehicles and consignments from origin to destination in real time. With the launch of this revolutionary service, Tata Indicom subscribers will now be able to experience vastly improved, robust and powerful location-based applications on their mobile handsets and devices.
“QUICKFINDER will ride on the benefits of A-GPS technology and provide reliability and enhanced applications support to our location-based services. Our new offering is industry-leading and offers far greater accuracy and real-time access, since it is based on a hybrid A-GPS and Next-Gen technology platform, riding on Tata Indicom’s robust CDMA network. The A-GPS service will use the most advanced positioning methodology to provide users with precise position information, including inside buildings and structures,” said, Dr. Mukund Rajan, Managing Director of Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Limited. “At TTML, our constant endeavor is to provide customers with advanced and rich wireless services, and this is evident with the deployment of our LBS solution,” he added.
“Qualcomm is pleased to collaborate with Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Limited for the launch of QUICKFINDER A-GPS service, which is an industry-first and offers an advanced location-based service experience to Indian consumers and enterprises,” Mr. Kanwalinder Singh, Senior Vice-President, Qualcomm Inc., and President of Qualcomm India and South Asia, said. “QUICKFINDER leverages Qualcomm’s industry-leading integrated gpsOne position-location technology and QPoint location solution to offer the most reliable location-based services in real time, working seamlessly in open, indoor and dense urban environments. As a technology partner, we also have extended our support towards network deployment, integration and end-to-end validation on Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Limited robust CDMA network to ensure accurate location services for the Indian market,” he added.
“With TeleCommunication Systems’ Navigation and POI solutions powering the QUICKFINDER for end-user applications, Tata Indicom is now offering an industry-proven set of A-GPS based applications,” Mr. Drew Morin, Senior Vice-President and CTO for TeleCommunication Systems, Inc., said. “Consumers can easily find points of interest and quickly navigate to a destination from their precisely-located starting point. The Tata Indicom deployment also reflects TeleCommunication Systems’ strength in precise location positioning infrastructure to support rapidly-growing international carriers that desire the flexibility of a hosted environment,” he added.
Traditional GPS services work best when the GPS antenna is visible to ‘Open Sky’ (at least three satellites), and can fail to determine the user’s ‘Position Fix’ if the antenna is not visible or is only partially visible. Furthermore, conventional GPS systems may take between one and 10 minutes for ‘First Position Fix’, even in the case of ‘Open Sky’. QUICKFINDER addresses these shortcomings with a hybrid system that uses both A-GPS and gpsOne technology to deliver fast and accurate results—the Tata Indicom A-GPS service will provide users with a ‘Position Fix’ in seconds and with accuracy up to and within 5-10 meters.
To begin with, TTML is launching the QUICKFINDER service in Mumbai and Pune. Addressing the mass market segment, QUICKFINDER will be available on the following handsets presently, with more handsets to follow shortly:
- MotoRAZR V3
- Blackberry 8830 World Edition
Existing Tata Indicom MotoRAZR V3 and Blackberry 8830 World Edition subscribers in the above listed cities can also avail of QUICKFINDER service by getting their existing handset configuration upgraded. This facility is being extended free of cost.
The key benefits of QUICKFINDER A-GPS are:
- Faster location acquisition: First Position Fix in seconds, using the A-GPS module and hybrid technology capabilities
- Saves battery life: The A-GPS CDMA module has inbuilt GPS and CDMA capabilities, reducing the external hardware and power requirements and, hence, reducing the overall power usage and costs
- Location acquisition indoors or in non-optimal environmental settings: Using Digital CDMA network support, the solution takes advantage of Advanced Forward Link Trilateration (AFLT) positioning to assist in determining accurate locations while indoors or in sub-optimal environments.
- Tracking applications: The same handset with voice and data capability can be used for tracking applications.
1. QUICKFINDER for End-Users:
Location-based services that will be immediately available are Point of Interest (POI) Search and Navigator. POI Search will enable users to zero-in on and locate points of interest, such as nearest ATMs, restaurants, shopping malls, educational institutes, Imp. Tourist locations, community service locations (Police Station, Ambulance, etc), , etc., with a single click, using the Tata Indicom network. Once this has been done, users will be able to use the application to navigate to the destination.
The Navigator application will provide end-users with directions, including those for driving, and the shortest route to the desired destination from their current location. GPS-enabled turn-by-turn directions will also be provided in areas that are open and indoors as well. Users will be able to map a route from their current location to the desired location with a choice of routes provided by the application, along with turn-by-turn navigation. Voice prompts along with route direction are also available as an additional utility, enhancing the experience further.
2. QUICKFINDER-I for Enterprises and BUSINESS USERS:
This solution enables real-time tracking of single or multiple vehicles via a secure and user-friendly web interface. Designed in a modular format to offer flexibility of tracking, monitoring, controlling and analyzing fleet performance QUICKFINDER–I enables customers with the flexibility of customizing MIS reports to their requirements. Powered by Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Limited CDMA network, customers can now track their vehicle or asset even while it is indoor or in a remote location.
The QUICKFINDER-I Advantage
1. Real-time vehicle tracking and monitoring of fleet of any size from anywhere, anytime via the Internet, SMS or the call centre
2. Vehicle location display on GIS map
3. Real time polling and messaging to remote vehicle from application interface
4. Exception alerts via e-mail and SMS in case of SOS, speed, Geo fence violation or predefined business event
5. 90-day location data warehousing
6. Access via secured user ID and password on Internet
