According to a report from iSuppli released last week, global shipments of mobile handsets equipped with GPS capability are expected to more than quadruple from 2006 to 2011. GPS-equipped mobile handset shipments will increase to 444 million units by 2011, rising from 109.6 million units in 2006. By 2011, 29.6 percent of all mobile phones shipped will have GPS capability, up from 11.1 percent in 2006.
This trend is mainly due to the U.S. government's mandate for Emergency 911 (E911) capability as well as wireless operators' initiatives to offer Location-Based Services (LBSs), according to iSuppli Corp.