Tata Indicom to Deploy First A-GPS Location-Based Service in India

Tata Teleservices confirmed plans to commercially deploy a new location-based service (LBS) that is the first to use Qualcomm's Assisted GPS (A-GPS) technology in the Indian market.


The service, which will use Qualcomm's QPoint solution and gpsOne chipset technology, with hosting services from TeleCommunication Systems (TCS), is expected to be available on multiple handsets from Tata's catalog by late 2008.


Conventional Cell-ID-based solutions rely solely on base stations for positioning, which can equate to less than optimal functionality in areas where cellular signals are compromised. Tata's A-GPS service leverages triangulation with cellular base stations and satellite- based GPS for. Qualcomm said this enables precise position location in both rural and urban environments, including inside buildings and structures.


Tata plans on working with the local developer community to create both consumer and enterprise LBS applications. Consumer navigation will include friend finder and social networking applications, while enterprise customers will benefit from asset and fleet tracking applications.


Tata Teleservices is using CDMA 3G 1X technology in its wireless network. Tata Teleservices along with Tata Teleservices (Maharastra) Limited, operates in more than 5,000 towns across 19 circles i.e. Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, New Delhi, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Bihar, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh (E), Uttar Pradesh (W), Kolkata, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. The company has a customer base of more than 25 million.http://www.qualcomm.comhttp://www.tataindicom.com/