Orange offers 2-way SMS 'find nearest' service

By Ken Smith | Editor, SmartTravelNews.com

LONDON -- Let's say that you're new to the city, or lost, or too far into the evening, and you are trying to find just one more place to party. If you are a subscriber to the UK's Orange mobile phone service, all you have to do is send the one-word text message "pub" to the Orange SMS short code 300, then a wireless navigation and location-based services system powered by Webraska will fix your location and reply with a text message telling you of the nearest pub.

Webraska Mobile Technologies, a pioneer in global position systems (GPS) and location-based services (LBS), has developed the 2 WAY SMS service to provide Orange customers with a text-based interface to the Orange "Find Nearest" Service. This follows the existing WAP "Find Nearest" service, launched last year.

Of course, you don't have to be looking for a pub. The Orange service also will locate other businesses and services, hotels, restaurants, rail stations and airports. Each search is priced at 20p (about US$0.37). Nearly all new technology products and services are marketed as being "simple and easy-to-use", and Orange did just that in announcing this new service. But, early reports from users say that it is indeed simple and easy.

Where am I?

The Orange "Find Nearest" service also offers the subscribers the ability to locate themselves if lost. Upon texting 'ME' to 300, the service texts back the user's location. The service does not say, "You're at the pub we sent you to three hours ago and it's time to go back to your hotel."

Two weeks ago at EyeforTravel's conference on Mobile Technology for the Travel Industry, some participants asked what and when and where the break-through application will finally develop to consummate the marriage of wireless technology with travel and tourism. For years now, both the telecom and travel industries seem to have been waiting for each other to do something. Wireless and mobile technology for travelers and tourists seems like an obvious fit, but something has stopped investment and development -- lack of willpower and ambition, confusion, misunderstandings, inability to see over the horizon, something.

However, several of the speakers pointed out that wireless is already being used effectively in the travel industry. It is the low-tech 160-character text message, they said. For example, SAS, lastminute.com, and British Airways are already using SMS routinely. The text message on a mobile phone does not generate much excitement because it is viewed as simple and old. This conference was before the announcement by Orange and, had the timing been different, the geographic technology developed by Webraska, coupled with SMS, would have been cited as an exemplary application of wireless in travel and tourism.

People will pay for SMS

"Although much of the hype surrounding the wireless data services has focused on WAP and Java applications, the potential of premium SMS-based services has often been under-estimated" said Jonathan Klinger, VP Marketing at Webraska, in making the announcement last week about providing technology for Orange. "SMS services are great for three main reasons: they're easy-to-use, the total available market is huge and people will pay for them".

Darren Coleman, product manager data products, Orange UK, said, "We're pleased to be working with Webraska to deliver our Find Nearest service. Webraska's flexibility and technological superiority has been core to the success of this project."

Driven by Webraska's SmartZone Geospatial Platform, the Orange Find Nearest service works by mapping a mobile phone's location by cell ID technology. Webraska's software then cross-references this location against a comprehensive database of businesses and services. The Find Nearest service returns the closest match to the search criteria entered.

Orange customers can also text 'N' for the next nearest search result, or text 'L' to receive a longer list of results. For each search, the service returns the businesses name, address and telephone number. Customers can also get directions for the cost of an additional search.

Award for SMS service

Last month, Orange and Enpocket, a mobile marketing company, picked up the "Best application of an innovative CRM concept" Award for the Orange Open Access program at the 2004 CRM Industry Awards held in London. It was the first time an SMS-based CRM program has been recognised for the top award. Orange and Enpocket were also recognized for work accomplished to teach mobile users how to access mobile Internet content and get the most out of their handsets in the 'Best CRM project with a mobile application' category where it came runner-up to Irish Life.

"Open Access has set the standard for mobile CRM and shown how brands can build deeper relationships and understanding of consumers through their mobiles. As a mobile operator with the customer at the heart of everything it does, Orange has led the way," said Jonathon Linner, CEO, Enpocket.

The two-way SMS program helped to drive over 200,000 new subscriptions to Orange's Open Access mobile Internet service. Orange offered customers a free three-month trial to Open Access by SMS and helped guide customers to relevant content through a series of SMS tips and embedded WAP links.

LBS and directory assistance

Also last month, Webraska and Varetis, a provider of professional directories, announced a partnership and the simultaneous launch of a joint location-based services solution for the directory assistance market.

"These are tough times for the directory assistance industry", said Greg Descamps, VP Sales, Webraska. "Increased usage of on-line directories is eroding call volumes and de-regulation has led to increased competition in many countries. While less-hyped than location-based services accessed via the wireless internet, enhanced directory assistance has three major strengths. First, 100% of mobile subscribers know how to make voice calls to directory enquiries services; second, subscribers will pay more for a single premium rate voice call than they will for access to a WAP or i-mode interface and third, carriers can use their existing directory assistance infrastructure to offer location-based services for limited incremental investment."

The integrated solution from Varetis and Webraska enables carriers and other service providers to seamlessly access location-based services from their directory assistance interface. Location-based services include directions for walking or driving, traffic information, and proximity searching for different points-of-interest such as hotels, restaurants, health care centres, petrol stations or shopping centres.

Webraska has its worldwide headquarters in Paris, France, and offices in North America and around the world. The company currently powers the LBS and telematics offering of service providers in four continents, including Bell Mobility, E-Plus, Sensis (Australia), Telecom Italia Mobile, O2, Vodafone Live! and Orange, and has partnerships with leading technology and content providers including Ericsson, HP, IBM, NavTech, Nortel, Openwav, Siemens and SAIC-Telcordia.