A-GPS SIM card gives sat nav to everyone

Posted by Al Warmington on Fri 21 Nov 2008

We hear the eerie cry of 'location-based services', satellite monitoring

Until now, if you weren’t prepared to fork out or sign up for an unbearably long contact, then the chances of indulging in some wayfinding via your mobile were nil. However, German company Sagem Orga has paired up with BlueSky Positioning and developed a SIM card with built in A-GPS.

The Assisted-GPS plots user positions using satellite data and triangulations from phone masts. With one of these SIMs on board, even cheap handset users could access proper navigation software.

“The SIM is entering a new era where it can now be considered as a real service platform and a valuable device; the A-GPS enabled SIM card will reshape the way SIM card are perceived by MNOs and end-users,” said Sagem Orga’s François Blanchard.

There’s a dark side to this too though – amongst its abilities is the fact it can offer location-based services. The press-release cites ‘location-aware games’ as an example, but let’s be honest here – the mobile phone networks, by installing the system in the SIM itself, will have a pretty tight control over its use. It won’t be long before some bright spark works out how to beam Burger King adverts to your handset whenever you walk within five hundred yards of one.

And why should it stop there – this would be a great means of tracking people through their mobile phones, and the fact it’s now working without specialist handsets makes it all the more appealing. Gimmicky Android apps that let you know when your mates are coming round the corner are fun; government agencies knowing your every single move, not so much.

Sagem Orga (via SlashGear)