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XM, the nation’s leading provider of satellite radio service, today announced that its real-time satellite information service for GPS navigation will add 29 new markets, providing XM NavTraffic subscribers in the U.S. access to real-time traffic data in a total of 79 major and secondary North American markets, beginning July 31. In addition, four current markets will also benefit from increased traffic data coverage within their metro areas.

XM NavTraffic feeds data on incidents directly to the vehicle’s GPS navigation system via XM’s satellite pipeline, alerting the driver to blockages directly on the navigation screen. He or she can then route around a jam before getting caught in traffic. XM NavTraffic also provides information on traffic flow where available. This allows users to view a color-coded overlay that indicates the average speed of travel along the driver’s planned route. Traffic data is aggregated by NAVTEQ Traffic from data sources that include police and emergency services, commercial traffic data providers, road sensors, traffic cameras, eyewitness reports, and real- time aircraft surveillance reports.

The XM NavTraffic service is available as a factory-installed feature on new, 2008 models from Acura (MDX, RDX, RL, TL), Cadillac (CTS), Infiniti (G35, G37, QX56), Lexus (LS, LX), and Nissan (Altima, Armada, Pathfinder), as well as through a number of aftermarket and handheld units from Alpine, Garmin, Kenwood and Pioneer Electronics. XM NavTraffic is expected to be available in 200,000 vehicles by the end of the 2008 calendar year.

I have emphasized Garmin because I believe this is a partnership, along with TomTom that both XM and Sirius need to pursue.  Portable GPS navigation devices have experienced high growth and their penetration could act as an excellent distribution channel for additional satellite radio content.

Tuesday, July 31st, 2007 at 1:03 am and is filed under XM. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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