Skyhook Wireless, provider of Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS) and hybrid location system XPS, today announced that its network now includes the location of over 100 million Wi-Fi access points. Plus the Skyhook system now also includes over 400,000 cell tower locations worldwide. Skyhook’s core technology powers the location system on the iPhone and iPod Touch, plus over 1,000 location based applications across its customer base of 50 million devices.
“No location system ever has encompassed this amount of reference data and supported this high volume of usage,” said Skyhook CEO Ted Morgan. “LBS has arrived and consumers can’t seem to get enough of it.”
Mobile application developers are using location for much more than the simple navigation applications that proliferated just a few years ago. AroundMe from Tweakersoft uses exact location to display nearby stores and services. RunKeeper is a fitness application that tracks runners pace and progress as they run. AirMe geotags photos and shares them with social networking and photosharing sites.
“Building our apps around Skyhook location means we can guarantee a better and more consistent user experience,” said Mick Johnson, CEO of Jamcode, developers of GasBag. “Skyhook is the pioneer in Wi-Fi based positioning information, which is a growth driver for LBS applications,” said Dr. Egil Juliussen, Principal Analyst and Fellow, iSuppli. “Wi-Fi based positioning will augment GPS on consumer mobile devices where it is needed the most–in urban areas where GPS is often blocked.”
