Telematics Provider ATX Expands Into Personal Navigation

Long-time In-Vehicle Navigation Advisors to Extend Expertise to Portable Devices, Phones

DALLAS and FORT WORTH, Texas, Nov. 21 -- ATX Group, the world's second largest telematics provider to the automotive industry, announced today it would be extending its enhanced navigation assistance beyond the dashboard to various types of portable and desktop communications and navigation devices sold throughout North America and Europe.

"Mobile consumers today demand real-time data such as traffic flow and special store hours, and that can only be provided through a connected device," said Ingrid Dinsmore, ATX Director of Navigation Services. "Enhancing the capability of any navigation unit by providing real-time access to any type of content is one of our company's core capabilities. With nearly a decade of experience in providing private-labeled service to embedded telematics systems in vehicles, we're just extending the connection beyond the car."

With the growth rate of portable navigation units expected to exceed 88 percent this year and the market becoming saturated with similar devices (the majority of which offer static content that comes with the box), ATX believes the portable navigation market is ready for devices that are connected to real-time content that is easy to use, refreshable, localized, specific, and even intuitive to the user's needs.

"We can provide manufacturers of portable navigation devices a new service that offers a better alternative to the increasing competition they face from other types of devices," Dinsmore added.

ATX's decade-long record of providing in-vehicle assistance also has enabled it to develop expertise in the application of interactive voice recognition technology, critical in delivering service in mobile environments, as well as basic administrative business functions ranging from billing and customer care to interfacing with various wireless, IP and hardware protocols.

Because of ATX's ongoing interface with drivers and research into their needs, ATX cites several trends pointing to the need for portable navigation devices to integrate with telematics databases. Mobile consumers want the capability to link their portable devices with their in-vehicle audio system and controls. More than just getting directions to a destination, they want the capability to transmit their pre-planned routes to their portable navigation device. And when the directions to an intended destination become complicated to the user, connectivity to a telematics center always provides the ability to enlist the support of a person specialized in routing assistance or securing help.

"Connectivity is the next logical step for personal navigation devices, expanding its usefulness beyond navigation and expanding its reach to interact with vehicles, the desktop computer and other devices," said Dinsmore.

Based in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, area and Dusseldorf, Germany, ATX Group is the world's second largest provider of telematics services for the automobile industry, serving both North America and Europe. ATX telematics services are designed to provide enhanced safety, security and driving convenience to vehicle owners. These services include location-specific emergency and roadside assistance, automatic collision notification, stolen vehicle recovery, remote diagnostics and real-time traffic and navigation assistance. ATX, the largest independent telematics provider not owned by an automobile manufacturer or telecommunications firm, also provides telematics services designed to help automobile manufacturers and their affiliated dealerships to use telematics data to reduce costs, enhance vehicle servicing, and more closely manage customer relationships. ATX services are provided to vehicle owners through the brand names of its customers -- Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Maybach, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.