Webraska powers Orange Business Navigation Services in the UK
Webraska, a leading provider of mobile GPS navigation solutions and high-end geospatial software platforms for wireless carriers and major service providers worldwide, announced that Orange UK has selected Webraska Navigation to offer a GPS navigation solution to corporate customers and SME's through its Orange Business Services.
A complete roll out of the service launches on 1st November 2006. The service is packaged as 'Sat-Nav from Orange', comprising, a Bluetooth® GPS receiver, a car cradle, in-car charger and a lifetime license of the navigation software.
Sat Nav from Orange is compatible with a wide range of Blackberry, Nokia, Sony Ericsson and HTC/SPV Smartphones and PDA phones, already in wide use by businesses, saving companies the expense and time involved in acquiring additional devices or memory cards. The use of a single unit also means that the device is less likely to be stolen than other navigation tools, which may be left behind in cars or offices.
The system relies on Webraska's powerful servers to store the detailed street-level maps powered by Navteq covering 100% of UK, together with a wide range of hotels, restaurants, parking and other useful points of interests, which allows detailed and personalised routes to be calculated instantaneously. These servers are accessed by the Sat Nav from Orange client application stored in the user's handset via Orange's mobile network.
This enables Orange business users to benefit from :
- Unlimited access to the most up to date, fully detailed maps of the UK (easily extendable to all of Europe) with no need to purchase expensive updates or upload maps on to various memory cards.
- Optimised routes according to real time traffic information, accurate travel time estimates that take into account actual traffic conditions, minute per minute traffic updates and automatic reroute should traffic conditions ahead on the route change.
- Local search capabilities among an extensive, up-to-date database of points of interest which can include guides, ratings and comments on local bars and restaurants.
- Improved productivity through a decrease in the time and cost of business journeys, as well as the stress involved to the employee themselves.
The partnership with Webraska offers Orange UK an opportunity to create real value for their business end users as well as adding value to Orange handsets. Webraska is already working with leading operators in other European countries, such as Vodafone in Italy and Orange in France.
"This partnership confirms Orange UK's recognition of the potential value-add the combination of GPS navigation and the Smartphone offers, and the continuous investment in bringing the most recent productivity tools to professionals. It is clear that being able to get to any location without stress, anywhere in the UK, and to save time by avoiding heavy traffic areas, brings immediate business benefits." says Gareth Williams, Group Manager Solution Products, Orange Business Services.
Nigel Brooke, Sales Director at Webraska adds: "We are very pleased to announce this partnership with Orange. Corporate and SME users immediately see the advantage of having a precise and reliable satellite navigation capability directly available on their smartphone."
Webraska Wireless Navigation Worldwide
