Seeker Wireless targets European homezone market

location based services

Having operated in “stealth mode” for nearly two years, Australian company Seeker Wireless has revealed that it is in the progress of deploying its high-accuracy mobile location based services enabling technology to a number of European mobile network operators. Formed in 2003, Seeker Wireless has developed a means to reach sub-100 metre location accuracy in high density areas on existing GSM handsets.
Seeker Wireless is currently working with as-yet-unnamed European telcos to firstly deploy their technology as a means for improving the accuracy of “Homezone” mobile services. Homezone services allow operators to introduce flat rate charges when customers are using their mobile handset within a set radius from their “home” environment. Previous Homezone solutions have offered accuracy in the vicinity of 500 square metres, which effectively leaves the operators open to “revenue leakage”, as customers continue to pay home rates when they are well outside of the agreed area. The Seeker technology appears to not only deliver benefits to end customers but enables operators to develop a model to fund further moves into location based services.
A recent industry report indicates that Seeker differentiates itself from existing solutions by, “performing the positioning calculations using an application on the SIM card, rather than using Cell-ID, GPS or other location technologies. The solution does not require a gateway mobile location centre (GMLC) but only requires a standard connection that uses SMS, GPRS or 3G to connect the mobile device, which then connects to the wireless gateway and the Seeker Server,” (Ovum, 2006).
Responding to a query from, “Geographically Challenged”, Andrew Grill - General Manager and Global Head of Sales of Seeker Wireless, indicated that he was, “relocating to London next month … such is the European demand for our product.” Grill indicated that numerous public announcements are imminent and that a new look Seeker website will be launched shortly. Grill opens the Seeker offices in Picadilly, London, next month.
According to Grill, a follow-up move into the Australian LBS sector is targeted for 2007.