December 11, 2008 06:00 PM Eastern Time 

Airbiquity Expands into China

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Airbiquity (www.airbiquity.com), a global leader in wireless connected services, today announced its expansion into China and the APAC region. The company plans to offer its full suite of market-proven telematics and connectivity solutions to the burgeoning Chinese telematics market. In China, Airbiquity’s business name is Ai Bi Ke Communications Technology Co.

“The market opportunity for vehicle-centric information and communication technology (Vehicle ICT) offerings is growing rapidly in the Chinese market”

Recognizing the importance of the market, Airbiquity also recently established a satellite office in Chengdu. The company plans to offer full support to its Chinese customers and partners.

"The market opportunity for vehicle-centric information and communication technology (Vehicle ICT) offerings is growing rapidly in the Chinese market," said Thilo Koslowski, vice president, automotive and vehicle ICT at Gartner. "Mobile phone penetration in China will reach nearly fifty percent by 2010; furthermore we anticipate that by 2012 about 10 percent of all vehicles sold in China will be Vehicle ICT enabled. This will provide the technology foundation to support innovative location, navigation and mapping services in the region."

Airbiquity's connected services solutions are used by the world's leading automakers to enable secure, dependable, two-way data connections between vehicles, devices and service providers. Airbiquity’s solutions give users the ability to access a number of voice and data services, including live operator concierge services, real-time traffic, local fuel prices, local weather information, local search of POIs and business listings, send-to-car applications and security services like SOS emergency service, roadside assistance and live car diagnostics.

“China is the next frontier for the connected services and telematics markets. We believe that the country is well positioned for continued long-term growth,” said Kamyar Moinzadeh, president and CEO of Airbiquity. “The Chinese market understands the need to integrate a host of features and functions into their telematics programs to differentiate their products. Airbiquity’s technology, already in more than 10 million cars, is the ideal choice for full-scale connected services deployments in China.”

"While in its infancy, the telematics industry in China is poised for strong growth. The aftermarket telematics service provider (TSP) market is establishing a national presence with rising subscription rates,” said Phil Magney, vice president and principal analyst of iSuppli Automotive Practice. “A growing automotive market is driving the need for traditional telematics services and several OEMs have announced plans to roll out their programs. These developments are creating favorable market conditions for a successful nationwide telematics service in China.”

About Airbiquity

Airbiquity provides wireless communications solutions that enable product suppliers and service providers in the telematics, portable navigation device (PND) and machine-to-machine (M2M) industries to deliver wireless data reliably and ubiquitously. Used by some of the largest automotive manufacturers in their telematics service offerings, Airbiquity’s patented aqLink technology provides data communications over digital wireless voice networks. VIAaq, Airbiquity’s turnkey managed data service, provides seamless connectivity between service providers and a vehicle or PND for a relatively low cost of entry. To learn more about Airbiquity, please visit their web site at http://www.airbiquity.com/.

Airbiquity, aqLink and VIAaq are trademarks of Airbiquity Inc.