Google Is Laying Off Waze Employees
Despite saying there would be no layoffs in December, Google is transitioning its ad business
Google GOOG 0.00%↑ is laying off employees at its map company Waze, CNBC reported this week. The reason is that Google is transitioning Waze over to its advertising system, said Chris Phillips, Google’s Geo unit vice president and general manager, in an email sent to employees and seen by CNBC.
It is not known how many of the estimated 500 Waze employees will be let go.
Location Business News reported in December that Google planned to merge its Geo staff with the Waze group. At that time, Google, which acquired Waze 10 years ago, said it was under pressure to reduce costs and be more productive by merging “overlapping product areas.”
Google’s Geo group, led by Phillips, oversees its Maps, Earth and Street View product lines. In December, when the companies merged staffs, Google said it didn’t plan any layoffs and hoped to operate Waze as a stand-alone service.
According to published reports Waze CEO Neha Parikh was to exit the company after a transition period. However, Parikh hasn’t updated her LinkedIn account that still lists her as CEO.
Following a regulatory review, Google acquired Waze in 2013 for $1.1 billion. At the time, it was the largest location company purchase, rivaling 2007 when TomTom [Tom2] purchased Tele Atlas and Nokia $NOK bought Navteq, which became HERE Technologies.
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GMV Grabs $218 Million Galileo Ground Segment Contract
The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded GMV a $218 million contract (200 million euros) to develop the Galileo Second Generation (G2G) ground segment. The G2G will introduce new services, improve accuracy, and increase system security, the company said.
GMV, which has a contract for the Galileo First Generation (G1G) ground segment, has ESA contracts totaling more than $545.8 million (500 million euros). As part of the new contract, about $170 million will be for “core G2G activities” over a 42-month period—until the end of 2026.
As part of the contract, GMV will develop the ground segment for the in-orbit validation of G2G. The new generation ground system will increase the accuracy and robustness of the system, strengthen security and reduce maintenance costs, the company said.
The ground segment will be responsible for controlling the two new second-generation satellite platforms, which are currently in the design and production phase, the company said. A total of 12 satellites are expected to be launched over the next three years—while the new ground control system becomes operational in 2025.
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Loadsmith To Equip 800 Trucks With Kodiak Autonomous Technology
Kodiak Robotics has announced that logistics platform Loadsmith will equip 800 trucks with Kodiak’s self-driving technology, the Kodiak Driver. The companies say Kodiak-equipped autonomous trucks will serve as a foundation for the Loadsmith Freight Network (LFN), which is specifically for self-driving trucks.
Kodiak, which will start delivering Kodiak Driver-equipped self-driving trucks in the second half of 2025, says autonomous vehicles on the LFN will transport goods on U.S. interstate highways. The long-haul portions feature autonomous trucks, while the local deliveries will have human drivers, the companies say.
Loadsmith said it will deploy 6,000 trailers on the LFN to maximize use of Kodiak-equipped trucks on the network. The company says having self-driving trucks and human drivers on the same network allows it to scale autonomous delivers and convert more freight volume.
As part of the agreement, Loadsmith has joined the Kodiak Partner Deployment Program, which partnerships with C.R. England and Tyson, IKEA, Werner, Forward and others.
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NextNav Launches First European Testbed
NextNav NN 0.00%↑ has announced the first European commercial testbed for its Pinnacle vertical location technology. Located in Paris, the testbed will demonstrate Pinnacle benefits for local emergency response agencies and integration with applications and devices from existing company partners.
The company said that the Paris NextNav testbed will serve as a springboard to launch its 3D GPS services in Europe. "This initial deployment will enable us to demonstrate our Pinnacle technology to industry partners and pave the way for delivering not only superior floor-level accuracy, but also resilient 3D PNT capabilities through a terrestrial-based system in the near future," said Ambroise Popper, NextNav France general manager and vice president, in a statement.
The European testbed announcement follows a recent European Joint Research Centre (JRC) report, which noted NextNav’s floor-level vertical location accuracy and ability to provide a resilient layer for traditional GPS services, the company said.
Overall, the company plans to tailor its terrestrial-based system’s 3D position, navigation, and timing (PNT) information to European emergency services, logistics, telecommunications and other sectors.
New Qualcomm Chipsets Support Asset Tracking
Qualcomm QCOM 0.00%↑ last week announced two chipsets that support its recently announced Qualcomm Aware platform that provides real-time asset tracking and device management in remote areas.
The chipsets, 212S Modem and 9205S Modem, are tailored to off-grid industrial use cases that require non-terrestrial network (NTN) connectivity or hybrid connectivity alongside terrestrial networks, the company said. Typical users include and IoT companies, developers, ODMs, and OEMs.
“Earlier this year Qualcomm Technologies announced the Qualcomm Aware platform, a revolutionary solution that allows companies to better monitor and track valuable assets virtually anytime and anywhere around the world,” said Jeff Torrance, Qualcomm’s senior vice president and general manager, connected smart systems, in a statement.
Applications include accessing telemetry and data from water and gas tanks, meters, and other infrastructure equipment, the company said. The modem chipsets, which integrate GNSS for location data, also can be used for utility grid monitoring, early fire detection reporting, on-shore and off-shore mining installations, livestock tracking, global and fleet management.
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Other Location News:
News tip? Send them to kdennehy@driverlessreport.com. Go to www.locationbusinessnews.com for more news and an archive of stories.
Top News:
🛰 Industry Invited To Bid for Low-Earth Orbit Satnav Demo. ESA has launched an Invitation to Tender (ITT) for European companies. “The ITT covers all aspects of ESA’s LEO-PNT Orbit Demonstrator, including the space and ground segments, system engineering aspects, operations, launch, the test user segment, experimentation and service demonstration in representative user environments.”
😲 Hyundai Motor Group’s Connected Car Services Reach 10 Million Global Service Subscribers. “Hyundai Motor Group’s connected car services reach 10 million subscribers just one year and 10 months after reaching 5 million subscribers and are expected to reach 20 million by the end of 2026.”
🤔 New Navigation System Works Even When GPS Fails. “Cosmic rays could help us get around indoors, underground, and underwater.”
Maps:
🚘 TomTom Releases New Map Update for Its GPS Navigators. “TomTom [TOM2] has just released a new map version, bringing the database to version 1110. The new maps are available for TomTom GO Discover, GO Expert, GO Camper Max, and GO Exclusive, and can be downloaded right now using either a Wi-Fi connection or with a computer.”
🚚 Rand McNally Publishes 43rd Edition of the Motor Carriers' Road Atlas. Paper map as backup to GPS? Brilliant.
🙁 Google Might Have Quietly Removed an Essential Google Maps Feature on Android Auto. “A recent app update removed the trip summary screen that appeared at the end of navigation in Google Maps on Android Auto. If you've never used this screen, it's a helpful summary of your trip, displaying total journey duration, distance, and average speed.”
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Connected and Autonomous Vehicles:
🍕 European Uber Rival Bolt Will Deliver Food to Your Door via Self-Driving Robots. “Ride-hailing firm Bolt will start offering food delivery via a fleet of robots supplied by U.S. robotics firm Starship Technologies.”
🚗 Bentley's First EV To Come With Hands-Off Self-Driving Tech. “Fully autonomous driving will come later, potentially through over-the-air software updates.”
😮 Did We Catch Apple Testing Its Autonomous-Vehicle Tech at Chrysler's Old Proving Ground? “Evidence mounts that Apple AAPL 0.00%↑is testing autonomous vehicles at an Arizona proving ground.”
😕 San Francisco's Fire Chief Is Fed up With Robotaxis That Mess With Her Firetrucks. And L.A. Is Next.
👍 Verizon Launches In-Car Connectivity Services in Select BMW Models. “Verizon Business VZ 0.00%↑ today announced the launch of Connected Car by Verizon in-car connectivity service for select BMW models in the U.S., offering voice, data, unlimited Wi-Fi hotspot connectivity and additional features for $20 per month.”
😊 Zoox Begins True Driverless Rides in Vegas as First Purpose-Built Robotaxi Operating in Nevada.
Drones:
🛩 XTEND's Human-Guided Autonomous Drones Are Now Fully NDAA-Compliant. “XTEND, the developer of XOS human-guided autonomous operating system for drones and robots, says its own range of XTENDER, Wolverine, and Griffon drones have achieved full NDAA compliance. The Israeli company now plans to ramp up production at its Florida facility with an aim to equip the government with more than 1,000 US-made drones over the next two years.”
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Location Industry Briefs
Send your news releases to kdennehy@driverlessreport.com. Go to www.locationbusinessnews.com for more news and an archive of stories.
Topcon Acquires Satel
Topcon Positioning Systems has announced the acquisition of Finland-based wireless tech company Satel Oy. Satel offers connectivity to windmills, precision farming, port cranes, weather stations, racing cars and for other markets. Topcon said Satel’s chairman, J.T. Bergqvist, will remain in his position. Company CEO, Markus Kantola, will continue to run Satel with his current leadership team, Topcon said. The transaction’s financial details were not disclosed.
Contact: Staci Fitzgerald, Topcon Positioning Group, (925) 245-8610,
corpcomm@topcon.com, www.topconpositioning.com.
Vodafone and Admiral Partner
Vodafone and Admiral have partnered to offer telematics services that include connectivity, data management and crash detection for the Admiral LittleBox. The Vodafone service provides Admiral with driving data that is used to create a score for each customer, which in turn can lead to a discount at renewal for the safer drivers, the company said.
Vodafone will also provide Admiral with a managed stolen vehicle recovery service, which uses its network of secure operating centers across Europe.
Contact: Vodafone UK, 44(0)1635 693 693, ukmediarelations@vodafone.com, www.vodafone.co.uk.
Taoglas Signs Distribution Agreement With Eastronics
Taoglas has announced a new distribution agreement with Israel-based Eastronics. Customers in Israel will now have access to Taoglas’ range of antennas, advanced IoT components and custom design services. Taoglas’ antennas include cellular, GPS/GNSS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, UWB, NFC/RFID, LPWA, ISM band and Satcom applications.
Contact: Taoglas, www.taoglas.com.
Quectel Rolls Out IoT Module
Quectel Wireless Solutions has launched its CC660D-LS module that supports 3GPP Release 17 IoT non-terrestrial network (IoT-NTN) connections. The CC660D-LS module offers versatile connectivity options, including L-band, S-band, and Band 23 connections, the company said.
Engineering samples of the Quectel CC660D-LS are currently available, the company said. The module is currently going through CE and FCC certification processes with mass production scheduled for Q4 2023.
Contact: Quectel, media@quectel.com, www.quectel.com.
Intelloger and Navigine Partner for Asset Tracking and Indoor Navigation
Intelloger has partnered with Navigine to deliver real-time location solutions for asset tracking and indoor navigation. Intelloger will offer Navigine's RTLS to the Middle East and India markets, the company said. As part of the deal, Intelloger and Navigine will focus on research and development to enhance their respective technologies, the companies say.
Contact: Navigine, www.navigine.com.
PTV Launches Route Planner for Electric Trucks
PTV Logistics has launched its EV Truck Route Planner that features a comprehensive catalog of truck and van EVs in Europe, truck routing and planning algorithms, driving behavior, elevations, temperature and wind influences.
This online tool calculates suitable routes for every electric truck or van, considering factors such as the payload, weather conditions, and the vehicle's battery capacity and age, the company said. Fleet managers can use this brand-independent route planner to determine which electric vehicle is best suited for their operations, the company said.
Contact: Arshaad Ramdjan, PTV Group, 31 645 75 7018, arshaad.ramdjan@ptvgroup.com.
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TSD and Zubie Expand Partnership
TSD and Zubie have announced the expansion of their partnership to integrate Zubie's telematics capabilities into TSD's dealer management system platform. By leveraging Zubie's OBD telematics and Asset Trak capabilities, dealerships will be able to manage their entire fleet from a single connected platform, the company said. Zubie's API integrations feature real-time fuel level and odometer readings, GPS location tracking and expedite check-in and check-out processes, the company said.
Contact: Nick McGuire, Zubie, (612) 276-6303, nick.mcguire@zubie.com
Northrop Grumman’s Airborne Nav System Achieves Successful Test
Northrop Grumman NOC 0.00%↑ has conducted a successful flight test of its advanced airborne navigation solution, Embedded GPS/INS Modernization (EGI-M). It is the first time that EGI-M, equipped with an M-Code capable receiver, has been tested in flight, the company said.
The testing, which took place in May aboard a testbed aircraft, confirmed that Northrop EGI-M solution, the M-Code-capable LN-351, performed at standards equal to its current LN-251 INS / GPS system, the company said.
Contact: Northrop Grumman, www.northropgrumman.com.
ARway.ai Files AR Patent for Indoor Navigation Tech
ARway.ai has secured a provisional patent for "Device Localization based on Computer Vision and Visual Inertial Odometry" that was filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The provisional patent will enables large-scale location persistent augmented reality experiences and device tracking with computer vision, the company said. This enables AR location persistence in large spaces like factories, malls, airports and university campuses, the company said.
Contact: Evan Gappelberg, ARway.ai, (866) 274-8493, investor.relations@arway.ai, www.arway.ai.
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People
GPS Insight has appointed Charles Layne as CEO. In addition, Jevan Anderson has been appointed as CFO.
The Royal Institute of Navigation named Kate Jeffery and Michelle Chloe Brown as trustees at the organization’s Annual General Meeting.
Trimble’s TRMB 0.00%↑ CEO, Robert Painter, was named Comparably’s list of the Best CEOs for Woman 2023. Esri’s CEO and founder, Jack Dangermond, also made the list.
Mobileye MBLY 0.00%↑ has announced that CFO Anat Heller, will be stepping down from her role for personal reasons, effective immediately. Moran Shemesh Rojansky, Mobileye’s current vice president of finance, will serve as the company’s acting CFO.
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