iGO My way™: “Connectivity in any device is now financially feasible”

What does your company do?

We’re a technology company, providing navigation solutions to many different markets. We supply our navigation solution for over 350 different PNDs worldwide, working with over 100 different brands and OEMs. We supply it into aftermarket headunits on all continents, and are one of the global market leaders in this. We license our SW to phone makers and also sell it on the App Store. We’re working on projects with almost all major tier-1s, supplying our navigation to line-fit in-dash projects for most of the carmakers of the world, on most continents. To achieve this, we aggregate maps, local content (such as POIs, 3D data, etc), and services (such as traffic, fuel prices, etc) from over 100 companies worldwide, offering the widest coverage in the industry. We have maps for 105 countries and are sold in over 70.

How do you differentiate your offerings from your competitors?

We are global, platform and OS independent and content provider agnostic, and we have cutting edge technology. We spend a lot of time and effort making sure our solutions make the best use of the HW, that we’re efficient and rock solid in quality. Since 2008, we’ve invested significantly in our online service technology. Naviextras.com is the Web portal part of this solution, offering map updates, extra content, and various services for over 250 devices from over 120 different brands. We have reached a half million registered end users in the service and it’s still growing every day. Being able to provide not just our SW, but also the local, relevant content and the online services and support is a unique advantage, which most of our competitors can’t match.

2010 has been a year of recovery. What services or trends have been integral to this time throughout the industry?

There is a slow-down of the PND market and the ASP crunch continues. Luckily, we’ve anticipated this and have diversified into other markets beginning in 2009. We’re seeing great success in the automotive market and, to our surprise, we’re establishing ourselves as the market leader in that market. Meanwhile, the wireless navigation market is becoming a very interesting one, with Google and Nokia offering their solution for free. All in all, I think it was an interesting year, where we increased our investment into our longer-term projects and new markets.

What industry milestones have you recently achieved?

We’re landing a very big number of automotive OEM deals, making much faster progress than we ever anticipated. Starting from 2012, we’ll be in millions of new cars sold every year, which is really exciting. We’re also just now launching our connected services solutions, which is where the market is heading, even in the car. We’re also extending our offering to cater to the fleet management and fleet telematics markets, which is something new.

Which trends will impact the industry the most in the coming years and why?

The biggest game changers are the affordability of M2M solutions and the advent of free community mapping. On one hand, connectivity in any device or form is now financially feasible and there are lots of interesting business models already. This will have a big impact on the whole industry. On the other hand, free community mapping is gaining momentum and projects such as OpenStreetMap are gaining exponentially. This will enable new business models.

How integral is Telematics Munich to the European Telematics market?

In every industry, or industry segment, there is a leader in bringing the news and views of the key players out into the open, for discussion, analysis, and consideration. Telematics Update serves this role, and the Munich event is well located, timely, and will be of great value for everyone that has an interest in this market.

Which gadgets, gizmos, or cars are on your current wish list?

I’m a gadgeteer, having an iPhone 4, an iPad, lots of notebooks and PCs and game consoles, so it’s a tough question. I’m curious about Google TV, Skype HD, the new MacBook Air. I still need to get my hands on a Chumby and I’d buy a Parrot AR.Drone if I could justify it.