SAN DIEGO-Verizon Wireless said it will launch location-based services starting in the third quarter. The carrier joins Nextel Communications Inc., Sprint and other wireless carriers in offering LBS services.
John Stratton, Verizon’s vice president and chief marketing officer, said the carrier is working with eight partners to develop a series of BREW-based LBS applications, including turn-by-turn driving directions, geofencing and other services. He said the first wave of LBS applications would likely carry the Verizon brand, and thereafter, the carrier would open the system to third-party application developers. Stratton said the services would be available nationwide over its CDMA 1x and EV-DO networks.
“LBS has so much promise,” Stratton said.
Stratton declined to provide details on the carrier’s location plans, including which companies the carrier is working with, what specific applications it would offer, and when exactly the services would be available.
To meet the Federal Communications Commission’s E911 mandate, Verizon has long been selling global positioning system-capable mobile phones. However, the carrier has so far shied away from offering commercial location services. Nextel, however, has led the U.S. industry in the development of LBS services-the carrier sells a range of branded and third-party location services. Sprint too has recently eased into the market with a select number of business-focused location services, including driving directions through its 411 service. Before its merger with Cingular Wireless, AT&T Wireless Services Inc. also offered LBS services powered by location information from cell sites.
Verizon spokesman Jeffrey Nelson said the carrier now feels comfortable offering commercial LBS services due to its work on meeting the FCC’s E911 mandate. Nelson said Verizon had previously focused its efforts on meeting the FCC mandate before expanding into the commercial LBS market.
Location-based services have long captured the imagination of a variety of industry players. Although select carriers across the world have launched LBS services, the U.S. market has largely stayed out of the fray. Some have raised concerns over carriers’ abilities to track their subscribers, although industry has promised to protect such information.
