Influx of Consumer Products Propels New Growth in Global Positioning System Markets, Says Frost & Sullivan

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 6 -- Global positioning system (GPS) products are steadily gaining end user acceptance in previously untapped markets.

High-volume applications such as in-vehicle navigation, fleet management, and recreational land-based and marine use, will drive demand for GPS systems and boost revenues. At the same time, the integration of GPS technologies in consumer telecommunication tools will generate new opportunities for market participants.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan , North American GPS Markets, reveals that this industry generated revenues totaling $3.19 billion in 2001. Double-digit growth is anticipated through 2008. Total revenues from aviation, land, marine, military, and timing segments could surpass $10 billion through 2008.

The proliferation of high-volume applications will force market participants to keep pace with fast changes.

``The high rate of technical change in the North American GPS industry will require companies to quickly integrate new technologies and assure customers that their products can interface with new communications techniques and operating systems,'' says Frost & Sullivan Senior Strategic Analyst Ron Stearns. ``Ongoing advances in signal tracking and reacquisition, computer power, displays, and operating systems must be incorporated into new offerings to ensure competitive advantages.''

``For some firms, this will mean in-house expansion in manufacturing capabilities,'' says Stearns. ``Others will forge partnerships and grant licenses to facilities for product production and integration.''

Meanwhile, new opportunities are emerging as restrictions on positional accuracy are lifted.

``The discontinuation of selective availability will aid growth of markets for several land-based applications,'' says Stearns.

The U.S. government had previously mandated the downgrading of the GPS signal, reducing civilian positional accuracies to the 100-meter range. Now, the government is allowing civilians to attain better than 10-meter accuracy in certain applications.

``This increase in positional accuracy will make products more reliable and increase customer satisfaction,'' says Stearns.

The following is a list of key industry participants: Allen Osborne Associates, Inc.; Allied Signal Business & General Aviation; Applanix Corp.; BAE Systems Canada, Inc.; Ball Aerospace and Communications Group; Chicago Map Corp.; Datum, Inc.; Eagle Electronics/Lowrance Electronics Corp.; Eastman Kodak Co.; Echo Flight, Inc.; ETAK, Inc.; Furuno Electric Co., Ltd.; Garmin International, Inc.; Geographic Data Technology, Inc.; KVH Industries, Inc.; Leica Geosystems; MapInfo Corp.; Motorola GPS Products; Navigation Technologies Corp.; NovAtel, Inc.; OmniSTAR, Inc.; Parthus Technologies plc; PCI Geomatics; Qualcomm, Inc.; Racal Survey Group, Ltd.; Raytheon Systems Co.; Rockwell Collins, Inc.; Satloc; Sokkia Corp.; Spectra Precision; Spectrum Astro, Inc.; Starlink, Inc.; Symmetricom, Inc.; Thales Navigation; The Boeing Company; Thomson-CSF; Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc.; Trimble Navigation, Ltd.; TrueTime, Inc.; and Zyfer, Inc.