AT&T assisted GPS technology (A-GPS) deployed

AT&T assisted GPS technology (A-GPS) deployed. AT&T announced it has deployed assisted GPS technology (A-GPS) within its wireless network to enhance existing and planned location-based services (LBS) used with A-GPS capable devices. The company also announced it will launch two new navigation applications in the coming weeks, MapQuest Navigator and AAA Mobile navigator.

The new applications add to the company's AT&T Navigator and AT&T Navigator Global Edition offerings, underscoring its focus on providing superior navigation tools and customer choice. The A-GPS deployment primes the network for further expansion this year in the LBS category, including planned launches of a location-enabled social networking service and a family-oriented service along with industry-leading privacy controls.

A-GPS technology gives capable devices a significant jump-start on identifying the user's initial location. GPS devices search satellites each time they are turned on to determine starting latitude and longitude, a process that previously took as long as several minutes. With A-GPS, AT&T's network speeds up that query by identifying nearby cell sites, helping the device more quickly hone in on the appropriate satellites. Assisted in this way, A-GPS capable devices can identify a user's initial location in fewer than 20 seconds, delivering greater convenience to customers using LBS.