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Indian satellite navigation market poised for growth
- Canalys Navigation Forum in Bangalore to uncover demand and
key challenges
Bangalore, India - Wednesday, 2 April 2008
For immediate release
For technology vendors, India presents huge challenges and
opportunities in equal measure. Although shipments of mobile
navigation solutions in the country are still small – Canalys
estimates just under 40,000 shipped there last year – there are
signs that the market is poised for tremendous growth.
“India is now the third largest smart phone market in the Asia
Pacific region, after Japan and China, with quarterly shipments
exceeding 1 million units for the first time in Q4 2007,” said
Rachel Lashford, manager of Canalys APAC. “With an expected 19
million more smart phones shipping there over the next three years,
this will provide a great foundation for navigation applications and
location-based services.”
The main inhibiting factor so far in the growth of India’s
navigation market is that although most of the country has been
digitally mapped by local players, leading navigation brands have
not yet taken the plunge and entered the Indian market with complete
navigation products and solutions. As a result, consumers have not
yet been exposed fully to the benefits of GPS and navigation. But
once this is overcome the market will swell with PNDs (Portable
Navigation Devices) and GPS-enabled smart phones, the prices of
which are coming down fast, bringing them within reach of a large
number of consumers.
“There are huge advances taking place in mapping the country. The
Indian satellite navigation market is primed for rapid growth,” said
Chris Jones, Canalys VP and principal analyst, and one of the
industry’s most respected market commentators. “But the market will
likely develop in a quite different way to Western Europe and the
US. By 2010, almost 40% of India’s projected 1.2 billion population
will be aged between 20 and 44. This large, young population is both
tech savvy and tech hungry. In addition, salaries in India are
rising quickly and there is an increasingly significant middle
class. It already represents nearly 20% of India's population, and
they have increasing disposable income. Combine this with the fact
that India is largely insulated from any global economic slowdown,
and that the Rupee is strong, and you have a recipe for significant
market development.”
The Canalys Navigation Forum, which is being held in Bangalore on
May 13, will be important for those who wish to succeed in selling
mobile devices and navigation and location solutions into this
potentially vast market. Sponsors of the event include Nokia India,
Wayfinder and MapmyIndia. It will bring technology business leaders
and innovators together to share insights and discuss Indian market
development. Presentations will include topics such as the advances
in mapping the country, the opportunity for low-cost off-board
solutions, and understanding Indian consumer preferences – drawing
upon the results of a special consumer survey Canalys is conducting
in the run up to the event. Chris Jones will be joined on stage by
Canalys CEO Steve Brazier, leading Asian market analysts, and other
industry figures.
Vineet Taneja, Head – Go To Market, Nokia India, said, “We are
glad that Canalys this year has added an India leg to its global
Navigation Forum event series. It provides a good opportunity for
all the stakeholders in this emerging and exciting industry to get
together, exchange opinions and discuss opportunities. We look
forward to sharing Nokia's vision in this space at the event.”
Magnus Nilsson, CEO of Wayfinder, said, “India is the fastest
growing mobile phone market in the world and our partnerships with
MapmyIndia and Airtel are our first steps in focusing on local
content for it. The Canalys Navigation Forum is the perfect platform
for industry players to discuss the opportunities for locally
relevant services and as well as navigation and map services.”
Rakesh Verma, Managing Director of MapmyIndia, said, “It is a
myth that digital navigation maps for India are not available.
MapmyIndia has built the most comprehensive navigation map of India,
tailored specifically to local conditions, which has been proven and
accepted in the field by our consumer and enterprise user base.
Having already made our maps available to many leading hardware and
software players, we are inviting others to launch their products in
the Indian market immediately. The Canalys Navigation Form should be
the perfect opportunity for decision makers to understand the
on-ground realities and opportunities of the Indian market.”
Chris Jones added, “GPS devices are about to spread far beyond
their established markets in Japan, Korea, Europe and the US to
reach consumers globally. GPS integration in mobile phones and other
devices will bring far greater volumes than we are seeing now, while
driving costs down even further. Software companies, hardware
vendors and mobile operators need to understand how big this market
will be; they also need to ensure they’re working with the right
business partners and are building affordable devices that meet the
particular needs of Indian consumers. The Canalys Navigation Forum
in Bangalore is an essential event for those who wish to maximise
their chances of success in this market over the next few years.”
For information about the Canalys Navigation Forum, to register
or to find out about sponsorship opportunities please visit
http://bangalore.canalysnavigationforum.com or contact Canalys
directly at its Singapore
or European offices.
About Canalys
Founded in 1998, Canalys is one of the fastest growing technology
market analyst firms in the world. It specialises in delivering high
quality market data, analysis and advice to the world’s leading
technology vendors. It is recognised as a key provider of continuous
advisory services and confidential custom projects for marketing
managers and strategists within blue-chip IT, telecoms, navigation
and consumer electronics companies. It has unrivalled expertise in
routes to market for all kinds of high technology products and
services in the consumer, SMB and large enterprise segments, and
provides worldwide market data and trends analysis.
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