Nokia #1 Choice for Mobile Navigation in Russia & Europe

According to the study conducted by Frost & Sullivan amongst European and Russian consumers, Nokia is the number one choice for mobile navigation over other leading handset manufacturers.

According to Frost & Sullivan, GPS-enabled devices is a fast growing market segment in Europe, with more than 30 million devices shipped in 2008 and close to 80 million devices expected to be shipped by 2010. In Russia in 2008, the market for navigation-enabled mobile devices grew to over 300 000 units, representing a share of more than 60% of the overall navigation market in Russia.

The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the perceptions, understanding, expectations and motivations of European and Russian consumers towards navigation and location-based services.

The key objectives of the study were to analyse consumers’ awareness of, and level of satisfaction with different types of navigation systems (e.g. PND, mobile phones), the different features available (e.g. navigation, 3D imagery, voice guidance, touch screen), location-based services (e.g. car and pedestrian navigation, traffic information, social networking) and other telematics features. The study also aimed at evaluating consumers’ perceptions and willingness to pay for different types of navigation systems, their features and location-based services as well as determining consumers’ brand awareness and perception.

Altogether 3 119 interviews were conducted for this survey in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and Benelux, in addition to 600 interviews conducted in Russia. According to the study, 62% of the non-owners of a navigation system in Europe and 77% in Russia consider Nokia as the leading brand for delivering mobile navigation. Additionally, over 72% of the current users of a navigation system in Europe and 81% in Russia vote Nokia as the best brand for delivering mobile navigation.

“Nokia has clearly excelled in identifying growth opportunities in a maturing mobile handset market by integrating GPS in a large number of its handsets, making them navigation-ready. With a target of enabling a majority of its new devices with the GPS feature by 2010, coupled with the acquisition of mapping and software companies like NAVTEQ and gate5, the company is clearly building a strong presence in the mobile navigation markets in Europe and elsewhere,” comments N. Praveen Chandrasekar, Program Manager, Telematics and Infotainment at Frost & Sullivan. “This vertical integration strategy along with its position as the leading handset vendor puts the company in a good position to meet the needs of people both already using and considering mobile handset-based navigation systems.”

According to Frost & Sullivan, Nokia’s acquisition of NAVTEQ last year has enabled it to aggressively venture into the mobile navigation space with a strong product portfolio. With the recent launch of Ovi Maps for mobile and web, the company is expanding its market presence into the service space within the mobile navigation market. Nokia’s aggressive strategies in this market and strong brand recognition among consumers make it a worthy recipient of Frost & Sullivan’s 2009 European & Russian Mobile Navigation Leading Brand Awareness Consumer Choice Award.

The latest version of the Ovi Maps for your device is available for download at www.nokia.com/maps