Telmap, a specialist in mobile location services, today announced that it has been selected to power Ruta Movistar, search, mapping and navigation service for Telefónica subscribers. Ruta Movistar is a Telefónica branded service that from today will be enabled by the latest technology from Telmap and it will be available on all GPS embedded phones. The service will be widely accessible on subscription basis and was also selected to be included as part of the Movistar data plans.
"We are excited to extend the Telefónica O2 group framework agreement with this launch in Spain following the recent announcement with O2 in UK" said Oren Nissim, CEO Telmap "We believe the market is ready, devices, rich experience and consumer's needs, are all in place to make this launch a great success"
Ruta Movistar offers a rich search, mapping and GPS navigation experience with features including in-car 3D maps with text-to-speech technology, daily updated speed camera alerts, traffic reports with alternative route options and a dedicated guidance mode for pedestrians. Telefónica subscribers will also benefit from access to relevant content including places and businesses, restaurant listings and reviews amongst other premium services. The services will be available and sold to consumers as well as Telefónica SME and large accounts.
"The market is going towards location services and we are happy to join forces with the leading search, mapping and navigation player in EMEA" said Carlos Fernandez Casares, Director – mobile data marketing, Consumer at Telefónica. "Ruta Movistar based on Telmap technology will be widely available and accessible for consumers and enterprises across our network"
Serge Bussat, Vice President, Consumer Sales EMEA at NAVTEQ, the leading global provider of digital maps adds, "NAVTEQ's vision is to revolutionise maps, with the goal of enabling the evolution of navigation, for Telefónica customers and consumers. We are proud to collaborate with Telmap in providing this innovative location-aware solution."
The first devices from Telefónica embedded with the new Ruta Movistar enabled by Telmap will be available in the market this autumn.
The agreement with Telefónica is based on the O2 Telefónica group agreement that will continue to form a framework for future agreements between Telmap and Telefónica operations globally.