CANNES, France—Among the slew of announcements made here at the 3GSM World Congress last week, location services seemed to move farther up on the radar screens of both operators and vendors, with predictions for commercial availability of substantial offerings later this year.
From the large vendors as part of end-to-end service packages to operators desperate for revenue-generating possibilities, location services were high on discussion lists. However, industry professionals proposed successes would come only if location offerings are tied to other services or packages that actually entice consumers or businesses.
Most industry executives agree that users must request location services, and that the high expectations of the past involving sending a Starbuck’s coupon to someone who just happened by a Starbuck’s caf
