Verizon Wireless is expected to roll out a child-tracking and navigation service this spring, according to LBS software company Autodesk. Verizon will launch Verizon Chaperone for use on the kid-friendly Migo handset made by LG. The Chaperone service will cost between $10 and $15 per month, and parents will be able to locate the Migo phone within several yards using the parent's cell phone or an Internet site.
Operators have been treading carefully. Sprint Nextel has quietly begun to cross over Nextel's already proven enterprise GPS Java applications, such as navigation services, to the consumer market. Verizon Wireless was expected to make its LBS push in 2005. The operator announced early last year that it was working with partners to develop a series of applications that include turn-by-turn driving directions and geofencing with a commercial offering planned for the third-quarter 2005. Verizon is clearly concerned about meeting customer expectations and dealing with privacy issues.
For more about Verizon Wireless' LBS plans:
- check out this article in Red Herring