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After Only Three Years, OCTO Telematics Obtains its 500,000th Customer

ROME, February 28 -- By using position tracking systems to calculate use-optimised motor vehicle insurance premiums, the Italian company OCTO Telematics has won 500,000 customers in only three years. At the CeBIT in Hanover, the follow-up products, such as personal CO2 meter for drivers and the use of traffic data for navigation systems will be displayed.

OCTO Telematics reaches 500,000th telematics client in the insurance sector

Just in time for the CeBIT, the Italian telematics service provider OCTO Telematics, a company of the Meta System Group, just obtained its 500,000th client. The world leader in telematics insurance solutions enables a system of use-based premiums thanks to high-quality position-tracking systems. Besides the conventional criteria used to measure premiums, such as the value of the vehicle, the engine, and bonus level, use-based data is also taken into account. With automatic accident reporting (e-call), an emergency call key and the possibility of locating the vehicle after theft, this also minimises the risks to vehicle passengers in emergencies and enhances active safety for persons and property.

"Besides our core market of Italy, in late 2007 we were able to penetrate the market in Great Britain, Spain and Austria, with more major insurance groups," says Fabio Sbianchi, the general manager of OCTO Telematics. "With an average of 1,000 activations per day, we have managed to achieve lasting development of our market position and are aiming for our millionth customer in the first quarter of 2009."

Patented CO2 Indicator

As part of the use-optimised insurance models, now the "ecological footprint" can be used a criterion to determine the amount of the premium. That is demonstrated by the example of the Austrian market leader UNIQA, which awards an "environmental bonus" discount of up to 25% to customers with an annual mileage below 10,000 kilometres. At the CeBIT, OCTO Telematics will be exhibiting for the first time its patented solution to display the current CO2 levels of your vehicle.

"Displaying the individual emissions levels can help raise the driver's environmental awareness," says Fabio Sbianchi. "Besides the alternative possibilities of calculating insurance premiums, we are also supplying the basis for new potential taxation models."

Traffic Data (FCD) with the largest fleet in Europe

Thanks to its system architecture, OCTO Telematics is supplying traffic data (FCD) in real time. That data is supplied anonymously in real time by hundreds of thousands of customers who are equipped with company's position-tracking systems. That information may be processed in the navigation systems -- in Italy by TomTom and Garmin - which helps to optimise route planning. In addition, everybody involved in the traffic flow benefits from improved traffic distribution, shorter travel times, and resulting reduction of environmental pollution.