Explay, a leading Russian manufacturer of car navigators, announced last week its launch of a navigator that supports the two satellite-based location systems, GPS and GLONASS.
The 5-inch screen device also offers video and music players as well as a basic e-book reader. Its retail price will not exceed 6,000 rubles (approx. $207), says the company. This is 20% above the average price on the Russian market of similar devices with a GPS-only navigator, according to Vedomosti, a Russian business daily.
The first Russian GPS+GLONASS car navigator, Sirius 201, made by a factory based in Izhevsk, is already available on the market. It can be ordered on the Internet for up to 15,000 rubles ($517).
Compared to GPS-only solutions, the GPS+GLONASS combination can improve the performance of location-based services (LBS) in certain cases. While calculating device position requires at least three satellite signals, devices that use both GPS and GLONASS almost double the number of usable satellites in the sky compared to GPS alone. Therefore, positioning is more accurate, especially in dense “urban canyon” environments.
Although these advantages can be appreciated anywhere in the world, the demand for GLONASS-supported devices appears to grow more quickly in Russia than in other countries. The Russian government has done much to stimulate this tendency. Last month it announced that all vehicles transporting passengers, large volumes, or dangerous materials will be required to use GLONASS-supported navigators beginning July 2011.
Navitel, a leading Russian publisher of navigation software, estimates that such a measure may affect 2 million vehicles, reports Vedomosti.
Satellite-based location systems are also used for smartphones and communicators, which compose another fast-growing market segment in Russia.
But Russian manufacturers face strong competition from China. Hong Kong-based AIT, maker of electronics and telecommunications devices, started supplying Russia with GPS+GLONASS navigators even before Explay’s move.
Among other Chinese manufacturers of GPS+GLONASS navigators are two Hong Kong-based companies Dimas HK Corporation and Succeedin Summer Corporation, reports CNews.ru, a Russian online resource covering IT and telecom issues.
Even Explay’s navigator component is made in China, but the digital card inside is Russian, notes Vedomosti.
The market for receivers that support GLONASS is also becoming a battlefield. While leading international players such as Broadcom, Qualcomm, ST Ericsson, and STMicroelectronics have already positioned themselves in this field, Navis, a Russian company specializing in navigation systems, offers three different products.
Sitronics, a Russian producer of telecommunications, IT, and microelectronics solutions, will start supplying chipsets in the second half of 2011, its representative told Vedomosti last month.
M2M Telematics, which specializes in advanced GPS/GLONASS/GSM systems, has just been praised by Fast Company “for positioning itself to dominate the chip market for GLONASS.” “Among the companies eager to leverage its tech: Nokia, Motorola, and Qualcomm,” writes the US magazine.
GLONASS/GNSS Forum Association, a Russian organization of manufacturers and users of equipment for satellite-based navigation systems, publishes a catalog of Russian-made products (available in Russian only).
Illustration: Russian-made navigator Sirius 201
