Frost & Sullivan Says "Expand to Grow" Approach to Be a Key Response to Increasing Demand in the Traffic Market

Frost & Sullivan Says "Expand to Grow" Approach to Be a Key Response to Increasing Demand in the Traffic Market: Future of Traffic Information Will See Personalisation of Traffic Services

London – 24 August 2011 - With the increased need for traffic-free and easy driving, real-time traffic information has become an essential feature for navigation systems. Powered by Internet connectivity, these traffic services help drivers to get destination specific traffic information without having to wait for on-air traffic reports such a radio updates.

Real-time traffic services have been available with portable navigation and embedded systems; now, however, they are being offered with smart phones that possess navigation facilities. Advancements in technology and connectivity inside cars will open up new opportunities to provide added features.

According to Frost & Sullivan, the number of traffic subscribers has grown significantly in the recent past. At present, around 680,000 people in Europe (including Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK) have subscribed to traffic services in their navigation systems (original equipment, aftermarket systems and PNDs) and this number is expected to reach 2.2 million by 2017.

NAVTEQ, INRIX Inc., TomTom International BV (TomTom) and Media mobile are the major traffic data suppliers and hold most of the market share today. They not only provide traffic services to OE systems but also offer aftermarket solutions, for example TomTom’s PNDs. With the rising number of mergers and acquisitions recently in the market, however, consumers of the future will have a minimum of traffic service suppliers to choose from.

“The market for traffic and travel information has moved from being highly fragmented and country-specific to one where customers have options to use the services of only a small number of global traffic information providers,” says Research Analyst Krishna Jayaraman from Frost & Sullivan. “This consolidation of key market participants implies that traffic providers are focused on increasing customer base by geographic expansion.” Additionally, service providers plan to enter emerging markets such as South East Asia and South America. This will help them boost their global presence and revamp their revenue models.

Most traffic providers like INRIX, Inc. and TomTom use the predictive model to collect traffic data, which involves traffic estimation and forecasting. However, several application providers are working on integrating crowd-sourcing into their platforms, a method which utilises a user’s location in real time to provide traffic updates. Crowd-sourcing offers up-to-date real-time traffic data without delays. Waze is one of the popular navigation applications which uses crowd-sourcing to generate real-time traffic information. The future will see crowd-sourced input for traffic information integrated into data models for continuous statistical and preferences collection, which will result in personalisation of traffic services.

“As the industry moves towards the connected era, manufacturers and suppliers will constantly keep working in accordance to consumer demands for more credible navigation services, which will make driving easier,” concludes Jayaraman.

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