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“We are very bullish about LBS”
Rakesh Verma
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| How do you see the success of
the navigator in India where
we culturally depend on word
of mouth for directions? |
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There is a significant need for a GPS
navigation device for all India . Depending
on word of mouth for directions has set in
as culture in India, because people felt they
had not option, and so factor in an added
15 min - 30 min every time they set out for
a new destination as the extra time it will
take you to find the place. With availability
of a GPS navigation device like the
MapmyIndia Navigator, people can have
more convenience, knowledge and safety
on the roads, and we believe it is just a
matter of using and trying this product
before people start demanding it seriously.
The situation is very similar to mobile
phones when they were first introduced
- before their arrival, we were all doing
fine, and now we can't do without them.
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| What makes the product
different from other
navigational devices
available in the market? |
The major differentiator for the
MapmyIndia Navigator is the map inside.
Comprehensiveness and accuracy of the
maps drive the experience of using a
navigation device, and this is our major
advantage over any other navigation
device not using our maps in the market
today. MapmyIndia maps allow for
seamless turn-by-turn navigation from
any point to any point in the country
- for e.g. nariman point, Mumbai to
koramangala, Bangalore . The depth of
our maps, covering all streets, localities,
sub-localities and points of interest in 52
categories combined, with the seamless
pan India breadth, covering towns and
villages connected by national and state
highways, allows our customers to use the
MapmyIndia Navigator for turn-by-turn
navigation to their destination anywhere
in India, while other products do not.
The pricing is competitive given the
34% import duty on GPS navigation
devices (versus 4% import duty on
mobile phones equipped with GPS),
and given the initial stage of the market
and associated volumes. Remember the
quality and quantity of map coverage we
offer is unparalleled, and we believe that
customers will pay a premium for that.
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| How accurate and
authentic are the maps
that navigator uses? |
MapmyIndia maps are the most
comprehensive and accurate navigable
maps available for India today, and are
100% our intellectual property. These
maps are driving over 500 large enterprises
including Coca Cola, HLL, Maruti,
General Motors etc. including leading
navigation players such as Airtel GPS
Navigation, Yahoo! India maps portal,
with more to be announced soon.
MapmyIndia Maps have all the necessary
clearances from the Government of India.
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| What is the reason behind the
choice of 2 hardware models? |
Our objective is to provide consumers with complete options and choice
of using MapmyIndia maps on the
internet, on the mobile phone, or in-car.
Specifically for in-car GPS navigation,
we have released 2 hardware models to
provide consumers with different formfactor
and aesthetic options, and will be
offering various other hardware models
in the coming time, either on our own,
or in conjunction with our partners.
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| Who are your target
customers? |
Broadly, anyone has a use for the
MapmyIndia Navigator, as the GPS
navigation device tells you where you
are at all times, giving you safety and
comfort, and guides you turn-by-turn
to your destination. In the early stage
of the market, we believe adopters
would be technology enthusiasts, those
who have seen these devices in US and
Europe, and premium car owners would
be most likely to buy the product.
For reference, in the US, 20 million
PNDs (portable navigation devices)
were sold last year, and in Europe over
30 million PNDs were sold last year.
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| How do you see the
growth of LBS in India? |
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We are very bullish about LBS in
India, and have been doing our
best to drive this market with the
availability of highly comprehensive
and accurate maps for India.
We have also created a complete set
of web-based APIs that can power
any LBS application, be it for the
internet or for the mobile phone.
We are developing an ecosystem of
players in the LBS and navigation
space - software and solution providers,
mobile operators, handset manufacturers,
automobile companies and PND
manufacturers - to offer consumers high
quality and pan India LBS applications
using MapmyIndia maps - on the internet,
on the mobile phone, and in-car.
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Rakesh Verma
CEO MapMyIndia,
CE InfoSystems
on navigation
market in India |
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| December 2007 |
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