Qualcomm said Tuesday that Canadian wireless operator Bell Mobility on the network launch of its new precision location-based services (LBS) enabled by Qualcomm’s gpsOne hybrid Assisted GPS wireless location solution. GpsOne is the world’s most broadly deployed, and commercially mature and innovative precision solution for locating mobile phones.
Bell Mobility is not only providing its wireless subscribers with new phone-based precision location services, such as its popular Roadside Assistance service, but also E9-1-1 emergency call location services that will help Canadian safety officials respond more effectively to emergency calls, while saving lives.
“This offering by Bell Mobility is an exciting first, marking the debut launch of precision gpsOne-enabled consumer LBS in North America,” said Kamil Grajski, senior vice president and general manager of SnapTrack, a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm.
“Qualcomm’s gpsOne technology has helped US carriers meet the Federal Communications Commission’s E9-1-1 emergency call location mandate, and now it is helping to bring to Canadians the benefits of precision LBS that can enhance the wireless user experience, improve productivity, and help save lives.”
The Bell Mobility Roadside Assistance service enables customer service representatives to locate customers automatically, with their consent, when they call for roadside assistance. The Roadside Assistance service is available anywhere and any time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week in Canada and the United States. However, the location based technology is only available within the Bell Mobility wireless network.
Bell Mobility’s emergency E9-1-1 service is being implemented in two distinct phases. Phase I enables emergency operators to automatically identify the general area from where the wireless emergency call is made, as well as the 10-digit wireless phone number of the mobile phone from which the call originated.
This reduces emergency response time and gives the emergency operator crucial callback information should the call be disconnected for any reason. E9-1-1 Phase II uses an even more precise, Assisted GPS, which allows emergency operators to locate customers using a gpsOne A-GPS enabled wireless handset or device.
Qualcomm’s gpsOne hybrid, Assisted GPS solution improves upon regular GPS, and provides industry leading all-terrain accuracy and performance by combining GPS satellite and CDMA network ranging data to locate mobile phones in both outdoor and indoor environments. While the cost-effective gpsOne solution is embedded in most Qualcomm CDMA chipsets for mobile devices, it supports both CDMA and non-CDMA wireless standards.
