Motorola Deploys Location Based Services for NTT DoCoMo

Motorola has announced that Japan's NTT DoCoMo will deploy its Mobile Advanced Location System (MALS) to power DoCoMo's new location based services. Motorola MALS is compliant with the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) 1.0 standard, allowing faster and more accurate detection of the position of DoCoMo's users, even when using base stations of overseas carriers in the roaming areas.

By using new location based services with handsets supporting SUPL, DoCoMo's users not only can use the services in Japan, but more importantly, they can utilize other services like digital maps, store locations and navigation assistance while traveling overseas. The services also make many new applications possible, such as pedestrian navigation, to bring highly personalized mobile experiences to users.

"It is DoCoMo's priority to enable great convenience for our customers," said Mitsunobu Komori, managing executive vice president, chief technical officer, member of the Board of Directors and managing director of the R&D Center at NTT DoCoMo. "The deployment of Motorola Mobile Advanced Location System further reinforces our commitment to this effort. Motorola's system has a proven track record in the international market and provides us with the suitable solution for rapid and efficient service deployment. The system has been tested and proven to deliver excellent performance in obtaining position data and detecting location."

Motorola MALS detects the user's location by calculating reference positions provided by mobile networks and GPS satellites. The system is supported by the Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC), which makes use of Assisted-GPS (A-GPS) to reduce measuring time and improve accuracy compared to the conventional standalone GPS.

"This new deployment proves that NTT DoCoMo has confidence in Motorola and values our optimal mobile solutions and leadership in advanced wireless technologies and applications services," said Joe Cozzolino, senior vice president and general manager, Home & Networks Mobility, Motorola EMEA & Asia Pacific. "Motorola is committed to providing operators with fully integrated and customizable mobile application solutions that enable them to deliver personalized media experiences to consumers. We are pleased to help DoCoMo drive its value-added services by using our expertise fostered through working with leading operators globally."

Posted to the site on 19th May 2009