Proliferation of mobile navigation solutions and app stores will help drive growth towards 100 million users in both regions

CHICAGO, Sept. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- NAVTEQ, the leading global provider of digital map, traffic and location data for in-vehicle, portable, wireless and enterprise solutions, reports that the number of turn-by-turn (TBT) navigation users has surpassed key milestones for the United States and Europe in 2009 by reaching the 50 million and 75 million mark respectively.

In the US, the number of TBT users surged past 50+ million in 2009 and is comprised of more than 9 million embedded in-vehicle navigation systems, more than 30 million personal navigation devices (PNDs) and over 18 million mobile navigation downloads (source: NAVTEQ internal research).

In Europe, the 75+ million TBT navigation user base is comprised of 15 million embedded in-vehicle navigation systems (source: NAVTEQ internal research), 53 million PNDs (source: NAVTEQ internal research), and 15 million mobile navigation users (source: Berg Insight, Mobile Location-Based Services, Fourth Edition June 2009).

NAVTEQ has worked closely with the automobile and wireless industries to create a quality TBT navigation experience for end-users and has become the leading map provider for TBT navigation solutions in North America and Europe:

    --  Most major car companies use NAVTEQ(R) map data for their navigation
        systems
    --  3 of the top 4 PND manufacturers (in US) use NAVTEQ maps for all their
        navigation products
    --  All of the leading wireless navigation solution providers (in US) employ
        NAVTEQ map data for turn-by-turn navigation applications

The march towards mass market adoption will in large part be helped by the proliferation of mobile app stores such as those offered by Apple and Blackberry, where TBT navigation solutions are starting to appear. Over the last three months, 7 of the 8 navigation applications introduced in these stores were powered by NAVTEQ map data.

"With the rise of mobile app stores and the rapid advancement in portable GPS technologies, NAVTEQ expects the proliferation of turn-by-turn navigation to accelerate in the future," said Jeff Mize, executive vice president, sales, NAVTEQ. "NAVTEQ has continued to encourage consumer adoption of navigation through a variety of innovative marketing programs such as TRIP (Take Rate Improvement Programs), which is aimed at educating consumers on the benefits of navigation. We've also taken an active role in stimulating the development of creative location-enabled applications in the wireless space through programs such as the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge(R), a developer competition actively promoted via our NAVTEQ Network for Developers. We believe it is efforts like these that will continue to drive the growth of navigation."

About NAVTEQ

NAVTEQ is the leading global provider of digital map, traffic and location data that enables navigation and location-based platforms around the world. NAVTEQ supplies comprehensive digital map information to power automotive navigation systems, portable and wireless devices, Internet-based mapping applications and government and business solutions. The Chicago-based company was founded in 1985 and has approximately 4,400 employees located in 192 offices and in 43 countries.

NAVTEQ is a trademark in the U.S. and other countries. All rights reserved.

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SOURCE NAVTEQ

Web site: http://www.navteq.com/