Mobile Satellite Systems (MSS) GLONASS, a Moscow-headquartered developer and manufacturer of monitoring equipment based on Russia’s GLONASS global satellite navigation technology, is making inroads into the booming automotive market in the United Arab Emirates.
Last week RNSinfo, a Russian website covering developments in the domestic navigation sector, reported MSS GLONASS’ plans to finalize a strategic partnership deal with a “leading transportation company in the UAE.” Neither the name of the company nor any terms of cooperation have been disclosed at this point.
According to Artyom Filatov, MSS GLONASS’s Chairman of the Board, his company views the United Arab Emirates as the Middle East’s largest and most vibrant auto market with an increasingly strong focus on upscale car imports. With an estimated 50% of local car owners driving premium and business class vehicles, the country’s interest in purchasing GLONASS-based navigation solutions may be regarded as the market’s recognition of the Russian system’s competitive advantages.
MSS’ entry on the market in the thriving Middle Eastern nation marks yet another in a series of Russia’s efforts over the past years to introduce its satellite navigation and tracking systems in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. NIS GLONASS, Russia’s national provider of satellite-based navigation services, is the main vehicle in the global diffusion of GLONASS technology.
In 2011, NIS announced expansion plans for India, which included solid investments in that country. In 2012, the U.S. Geological survey adopted GLONASS, 35 years after the system’s launch. Earlier this year, the Russian system found its way into Latin America, with a ground monitoring station now operational in Brazil.
MSS GLONASS, the company behind this latest UAE deal, is a shareholder of Russian Navigation Technologies (RNT), another leading manufacturer and integrator of GLONASS/GPS-based fleet management solutions and telematics systems in Russia with a growing presence in Eastern Europe, Asia, North Africa, and Latin America. RNT is also developing an AutoTracker project.
