MORE and more motorists appear to be snapping up mobile phones with GPS navigation features. And market leader Nokia expects demand for such devices to grow further.

GPS refers to the global positioning system that taps a phalanx of orbiting satellites to send signals to a GPS receiver
to determine the user's exact location on Earth, plus or minus a few metres.

There has been a boom in personal navigation devices (PNDs) in general, but mobile phones with GPS features are also becoming increasingly common. In fact, mobile phone navigation is the fastest- growing segment of the personal navigation market.

According to recent market research by Canalys, more than 60 per cent of mobile phone users are keen to have navigation on their phone.

Canalys, a provider of market data and analysis for leading technology vendors, says that while PNDs are still the biggest category in volume terms, converged devices such as smart phones already have more than 20 per cent of the market.

Based on Canalys estimates for the Asia-Pacific region, Nokia was the only mobile phone company in the top five rankings in terms of PDN volume shipments in the final quarter of last year.

Nokia itself says that the personal navigation market is expanding rapidly, and mobile phone navigation is its fastest-growing area.

"Nokia sees location- based experiences such as mapping and navigation to be a fundamental platform in mobile devices moving forward," says Grant McBeath,general manager of Nokia Singapore.

"Maps and navigation have become a standard feature in all Nokia N-series multimedia supercomputers and in a wide range of Nokia phones."

The leading mobile phone maker recently launched the 6210 Navigator, which is ideal for motorists because it offers
turn-by-turn voice-guided navigation commands.

With its comprehensive country maps, it can show the user's location and calculate new routes or re-route to avoid traffic events.

Pedestrians can also be guided on foot with 'breadcrumbs' to show their previous positions and a built-in compass to provide orientation.

Nokia also has thousands of city guides that provide information and recommendations on tourist attractions, restaurants, hotels, petrol stations,ATMS and many other useful locations.

"We believe there is good potential for GPS devices to grow,"says Mr McBeath. "To date, Nokia has 10 GPS-enabled devices selling in Singapore and they are doing well."

Also bullish on demand for mobile phones with maps and navigation is SingTel, the first telco in Singapore to
launch the GPS-enabled iPhone 3G by Apple.

"We are seeing an encouraging growth in demand for GPS-enabled phones," says Wong Soon Nam, SingTel's vice-president of consumer marketing.

"Most of the new smartphones offered today are equipped with GPS features such as device road maps, which allow our customers to navigate between destinations easily."

Mr Wong says that as well as the new iPhone 3G, Sing-Tel offers more than 10 other mobile phone models with navigation features.

While the first-generation iPhone had a location feature, it was based on the triangulation of cellphone towers.

The iPhone 3G, on the other hand, has a bona fide GPS feature that utilises the satellites in space to pinpoint its location.

While neither Nokia nor Apple will reveal sale numbers or buyer profiles, they agree that there is a growing demand for mobile phone navigation because consumers are not limited to using it only in their vehicles.

Nokia's Mr McBeath explains:"GPS-enabled mobile phones are multi-purpose converged devices that enable consumers not only to navigate, but also communicate -any time, anywhere."

This article was first published in The Business Times on Sept 17, 2008.