FCC Fines Largest Wireless Carriers $200 Million For Illegally Sharing Location Information
Carriers deny allegations, say they will fight fines...
Alleging that they illegally shared access to their customers’ location information, the nation’s largest wireless carriers were fined nearly $200 million this week by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC contends that the carriers sold access to location data without their customer’s consent “and continued to do so without reasonable safeguards.”
Sprint and T-Mobile TMUS 0.00%↑, which merged since the investigation started, were hit the hardest with $12 million and $80 million fines, respectively. AT&T T 0.00%↑ was fined more than $57 million, while Verizon VZ 0.00%↑ was hit with a $47 million fine.
“Our communications providers have access to some of the most sensitive information about us. These carriers failed to protect the information entrusted to them, said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, in a statement. “Here, we are talking about some of the most sensitive data in their possession: customers’ real-time location information, revealing where they go and who they are.”
During its investigation, which started during the Trump administration, the FCC said that the four carriers sold customer location information to “aggregators,” who resold the data to third-party location-based service providers. The federal agency cited public reports that indicated that a Missouri sheriff used location information, provided by Securus, to track “numerous individuals.”
Denying the allegations, the wireless carriers said they will challenge the fine. "This industry-wide third-party aggregator location-based services program was discontinued more than five years ago after we took steps to ensure that critical services like roadside assistance, fraud protection and emergency response would not be disrupted." said T-Mobile, in a statement.
The Forfeiture Orders are available here:
AT&T, Inc. Forfeiture Order: https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-fines-att-57m-location-data-violations.
Sprint Corporation Forfeiture Order: https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-fines-sprint-12m-location-data-violations.
T-Mobile USA, Inc. Forfeiture Order: https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-fines-t-mobile-80m-location-data-violations.
Verizon Communications Forfeiture Order: https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-fines-verizon-46m-location-data-violations.
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TomTom Maps to Support Qualcomm Aware Platform
TomTom [TOM2] will deliver map data and APIs to support Qualcomm’ QCOM 0.00%↑ Aware platform. Launched in February 2023, Aware was touted as a platform that allows developers and enterprises the ability to create custom products—and to combat fragmentation in the IoT industry.
The platform allows customers to gain visibility into the location and condition of their goods and assets using device-to-cloud APIs, the company said. TomTom’s maps, combined with Qualcomm’s positioning services, allow customers to have a map visualization on personal dashboards, the company said.
“By integrating TomTom maps with Qualcomm’s leading technologies, we enable real-world tracking and asset management applications and help power the next generation of IoT devices and the digital transformation across industries,” said TomTom’s CRO, Mike Schoofs, in a statement.
Aware features Wi-Fi- and cellular-based positioning provided through Qualcomm’s Terrestrial Positioning Service (TPS), which can be used independently or alongside GNSS, the company said.
Aware is targeted to cold chain distribution, utility asset monitoring, cargo shipment tracking, warehouse and inventory management, Qualcomm said.
Qualcomm purchased both Skyhook Wireless and PoLTE Corp. to add proprietary positioning techniques and a global signal database to the platform. Skyhook and PoLTE, once bitter rivals, combined their technology with Qualcomm’s existing low-power location offerings.
“Location awareness is increasingly crucial to many companies and is a core component of the Qualcomm Aware Platform. By collaborating with TomTom, we leverage industry-leading maps to help enable our customers to visualize their assets in the cloud for even the most advanced use cases,” said Rod Forter, Qualcomm’s senior director, business development, in a statement.
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Spirent Launches PNT X Test Solution for PNT
As developers are looking beyond GNSS to address increasingly complex positioning challenges, Spirent Communications has launched PNT X, its positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) simulation system.
PNT X offers signals that include L-band, S-band, alternative navigation (AltNav) signals and Regional Military Protection (RMP) support. into one innovative, compact, and flexible system. The system also can run multiple signals from different PNT sources concurrently, the company said.
“PNT X is primarily designed for testing and validating systems with a safety, or mission-critical, PNT dependency. In the modern world, that doesn’t narrow the PNT market segments too much,” Ricardo Verdeguer Moreno, Spirent’s product line manager for defense and space.
Verdeguer Moreno said that the most obvious application for PNT X is where failure is not an option—space. Other applications include those that bring together multiple sensors and sources to support safe operation such as autonomous vehicles’ Tier 1 suppliers, he said.
“However, there are any number of civilian applications that also depend on precise and reliable PNT such as commercial aviation, shipping, telecoms networks, banking, power grids and public transport systems,” Verdeguer Moreno said. “In addition, any new applications and customer needs that require bringing together technologies that have never been used before will most likely use PNT X as a baseline to build custom systems.”
Spirent, which has been developing PNT X for more than two years, said that the simulator features a simplified user interface and interoperability that reduces scenario set-up time.
As Location Business News reported, Keysight Technologies KEYS 0.00%↑ has announced its intention to acquire United Kingdom-based Spirent for nearly $1.5 billion. Arizona-based Viavi VIAV 0.00%↑ previously made Spirent an offer for $1.3 billion, a deal that was nixed by Spirent’s board of directors.
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Other Location News
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Top News:
🛰 Two Galileo Satellites Launched on Falcon 9 Rocket
SpaceX launched two Galileo satellites into orbit on April 28 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center. The launch, through a $200 million contract, was the first time Galileo satellites (GM25 and FM27) have been launched from the United States.
Within hours of the launch, Arianespace said that its anticipated Ariane 6 rocket was selected by the European Commission and the European Union Agency for the Space Program (EUSPA) to launch Galileo satellites in 2026 and 2027.
😠 Senators: Car Companies Are Giving Location Data to Police Without a Warrant. “Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) publicized the finding in a Tuesday letter that urges the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the car makers: BMW, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota and Volkswagen.
🛩 No. 1 Threat: Drone Attacks Prompt Urgent $500 Million Request From Pentagon. “Drone attacks have become the No. 1 threat to U.S. troops deployed abroad, prompting a $500 million urgent request to help erect defenses.”
☹ The Dangerous Rise of GPS Attacks. “Separate analysis from geospatial intelligence company Geollect shared with WIRED shows that on April 16, around 55 ships broadcast their location as being over the main runway at Simferopol International Airport in Crimea, Ukraine. The airport is around 19 miles inland from the Black Sea, where it’s believed the ships were actually located.”
✈ Finnair Suspends Flights To Estonian City Over Russian GPS Interference. “All flights to Tartu were suspended between April 29 and May 31 while "an alternative approach solution that doesn't require a GPS signal can be put in place at Tartu Airport," the Finnish carrier said in a statement.”
Maps:
📱 It Was Fun While It Lasted: Apple Maps to Start Showing Ads. “The demise of the Apple Car forced Apple AAPL 0.00%↑ to rethink its automotive strategy, and investing big in Apple Maps and CarPlay seems to be the chosen way to become more relevant in an unexplored world, potentially bringing home the bacon.”
🗺 Google Maps Is Getting a New Update That'll Help You Discover Hidden Gems in Your Area Thanks To AI. “It looks like Google Maps is getting a cool new feature that’ll make use of generative AI to help you explore your town - grouping different locations to make it easier to find restaurants, specific shops, and cafes.”
🚘 Huge Google Maps Update Spotted: CarPlay Users to Get Traffic Reports. “Google Maps and Waze belong to the same company, but despite offering navigation features, they are different animals with different purposes.”
🌏 Testing Novel 3D Mapping Technology to Transform Space Exploration and Benefit Industries on Earth. “MRS is designed to rapidly create 3D maps of various environments in unprecedented detail, like the space station or even a lava tube on the Moon or Mars.”
🙂 Free Google Maps Alternative Announces Major Real-Time Traffic Expansion. “Navigator PRO users are also getting expanded map coverage. While the Pro version of the software comes with several worthy upgrades, one of the most notable is the support for truck navigation.”
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Connected and Autonomous Vehicles:
🚗 Tesla CEO Musk Visits China. “Tesla CEO Elon Musk met with a top government leader in the Chinese capital Sunday, just as the nation’s carmakers are showing off their latest electric vehicle models at the Beijing auto show.”
🚍 Aurora Trucks Without Drivers Reach Highway Speeds on Test Track. “Testing reached 75 mph at a facility in Ohio, the company told Trucking Dive.”
🤔 A Wrestling Match Over Who Should Control Robotaxis Is Playing Out in California. “The state could set the standard for autonomous vehicle regulation, but in the process could push away Cruise, Waymo, Zoox and others.
🤞 Hyundai Motor, Kia Corp Sign Agreement With China's Baidu on Connected Car Technology.
😧 Elon Musk’s Tesla Robotaxi Predictions Were All Wrong. “‘The fleet wakes up with an over-the-air update,’” [Elon] Musk said. ‘That’s all it takes.’ That’s proven to be a vast understatement of how difficult it is to develop self-driving technology. And it wasn’t Musk’s only comment trivializing the task.”
Drones:
😮 HUR Operatives Destroy $100K Russian Anti-Drone Radar With Attack Drone. “Revealed footage shows a "No GPS" signal (because radar was actively fighting it) right before Ukrainian attack drone hits its target.”
Financial:
✔ Aptiv Reports First Quarter 2024 Financial Results.
Location Industry Briefs
Send your news releases to kdennehy@driverlessreport.com. Go to www.locationbusinessnews.com for more news and an archive of stories.
Mapbox Continues Haptic Partnership, Signs Deal With Fusic
Mapbox has announced the continued partnership with navigation technology provider Haptic. The companies will continue to feature Mapbox’s Navigation SDK and Directions API that is integrated into the HapticNav app.
In other company news, Fusic and Mapbox signed a deal for map information services via Field x IT. Fusic will serve as Mapbox's value-added reseller, focusing on the development of systems using Mapbox's SaaS map development platform.
Contact: Mapbox, www.mapbox.com.
OuterSpatial Integrates what3words on App
OuterSpatial has announced it will integrate what3words location technology into its outdoor app for parks and recreation organizations. The what3words addresses for more than 40,000 points of interest across the US, displayed alongside their GPS coordinates, have been added to the OuterSpatial database, the company said.
Users can search for what3words addresses using the app’s search bar with—and find their current what3words address by clicking on the blue dot displayed on maps throughout the app. Users can also long press anywhere on an OuterSpatial map to discover its what3words address, the company said.
Contact: what3words, prteam@what3words.com, www.what3words.com.
PDi Digital and Quuppa Partner
Austrian IoT specialists PDi Digital and Finnish RTLS company Quuppa have announced the launch of a new technology for sepioo displays that have the capability to distribute location-based information. The sepioo SaaS platform collects data to provide a digital map of real-time location and display information, the company said.
Both PDi Digital and Quuppa predict potential value for location-based services, especially for Industry 4.0, the company said. The sepioo IoT displays combine real-time tracking with information distribution, packaged in a durable, battery-powered device, the company said.
Contact: Sari Arjamo-Tuominen, Quuppa, sari.arjamo-tuominen@quuppa.com, www.quuppa.com.
Hapag-Lloyd Launches Dry Container Tracking Product
Hapag-Lloyd has launched its first dry container tracking product, Live Position, which provides on-demand door-to-door visibility. Hapag-Lloyd, the first shipping line to use IoT technology in logistics on a large scale, said the solution allows full transparency on the location of their shipments.
More than two thirds of the company’s dry container fleets have already been equipped with tracking devices. The product provides customers with an overview of their shipment’s current location, allowing them to make any necessary adjustments in real time, the company said.
Contact: Nils Haupt, Hapag-Llyod, 49 40 3001 – 2263, nils.haupt@hlag.com.
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Topcon Announces Plans for New State-Of-The-Art Manufacturing Facility in Germany
Topcon Positioning Systems has announced a new manufacturing facility will be built in Geisenheim, Germany, near Frankfurt, for the company’s Topcon Electronics operation. The announcement, made during a groundbreaking ceremony on April 16, coincided with the production milestone of the one-millionth product to come off the line at the company’s current Geisenheim facility.
At Geisenheim, in-cab displays are made for Topcon’s agriculture and construction solutions portfolios as well as for global OEM customers. Unlike the existing location, this facility will be owned by Topcon, with 90,000 square feet, allowing for increased production capacities to triple the number of units produced annually, the company said.
Contact: Staci Fitzgerald, Topcon Positioning Systems, (925) 245-8610, corpcomm@topcon.com.
Seaward Selects Spinergie Smart Fleet Management Solution
Vessel management company Seaward Services has selected maritime technology company Spinergie to deploy its Smart Fleet Management solution across its fleet of offshore vessels. Smart Fleet Management features vessel activity monitoring and assessment via crew logbooks, weather sources, and GIS algorithms that associate vessel tracks with offshore project areas, the company said. The solution ensures shoreside personnel will not have to rely on daily vessel position reports or VHF calls, the company said.
Contact: Patrick Sanguily, Spinergie, (512) 565-9366, inquiries@spinergie.com.
NM Group Takes Delivery of Optech Galaxy T2000
Teledyne Geospatial has delivered its Optech Galaxy T2000 and the Galaxy Onboard real-time processing solution to NM Group. NM Group, which uses lidar as a foundation, specializes geospatial data-based analysis and insights for engineering, asset, and vegetation management stakeholders.
The Galaxy T2000 will survey large-scale transmission and distribution projects in North America, the UK, and Australia. The collected data will ultimately be used to build PLS-CADD models for transmission engineering and vegetation risk analysis, the company said.
Contact: Jennifer Parham, Teledyne Geospatial, jennifer.parham@teledyne.com.
CerebrumX Partners With SmallBoard
CerebrumX Labs has partnered with SmallBoard to offer its FleetConnect solution to various fleets. FleetConnect features embedded connected vehicle data in live vehicle tracking, driver monitoring, safety and sustainability initiatives, the company said. Other features include route optimization, dedicated driver behavior scores and vehicle health data.
Contact: CerebrumX, https://cerebrumx.ai.
AiRISTA Recognized for Location Services in Gartner Report
AiRISTA has been recognized in the 2024 Gartner Critical Capabilities for Indoor Location Services Report. The company scored points in the report’s people tracking and zonal asset tracking categories, where it was ranked first and second, respectively. AiRISTA said it scored among the four highest RTLS vendors in use cases categories.
Contact: AiRISTA, salesinfo@airista.com, www.airistaflow.com.
People
KORE Group Holdings KORE 0.00%↑ has announced today that Romil Bahl will step down as president and CEO. Kore’s board of directors has named Ronald Totton interim president and CEO.
Descartes Labs has announced the appointment of former U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation president and CEO, Keith Masback, to its board of directors.
The LoRa Alliance has announced that Stefan Lindvall, CEO of MultiTech, has joined its board of directors.
Davis Adams-Smith has been named director, public relations (Bridgestone West - Americas & EMEA) at Bridgestone Americas.
Jobs
WIFI/BT Sales Manager-EMEA. Quectel.
FAE in Argentina. Quectel.
Lidar Project Manager. Axon Technologies.
GNSS R&D Engineer. Wenham Carter Group.
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