In response to Verizon Wireless’ commercials with the famous “Can You Hear Me Now” to boast about its clear network, Verizon is now hearing user’s concerns over locked GPS. After users have petitioned, the carrier is now stating that it will begin opening up GPS on its Windows Mobile devices. Although the hardware exists on many of the handsets, the carrier states that it took the position of locking up the GPS chipset to ensure that GPS and aGPS, which relies on cellular towers to obtain a quicker location fix before kicking in and using GPS to achieve greater accuracy than using cellular towers alone, would work well together on the Verizon’s network.

WMExperts is reporting that the Omnia, Saga, and Touch Pro will be having some firmware revisions/software patches in the first half of 2009 to open up the GPS for use with third party applications; previously only VZ Navigator, Verizon’s own branded internet-based GPS navigation solution, was allowed access to the GPS chipset.

Here’s the note from Verizon:

Verizon Wireless, like all carriers, orders devices to meet certain specifications inclusive of features. Each of these specs is tested to determine if it meets our performance goals. There are instances when the phone will pass our extensive testing process but a specific feature may not meet the standard. We will often choose to introduce the phone without that feature but ask that the manufacturer come back to us with revised software that has to be tested to make sure the service works the same across our entire wireless footprint –from Maine to Hawaii. In the case of open standalone GPS, we are partnering with the Windows Mobile device manufacturers to provide a software upgrade that will add this capability to the existing assisted GPS capability. This is a complex development project to provide open standalone GPS while maintaining the assisted GPS capability with the level of performance and security that our customers expect. The recently introduced Windows Mobile devices including Omnia, Saga, and Touch Pro are targeted to add open standalone GPS in the 1st half of 2009.

Steve Schwed

Verizon Wireless

HQ Executive Relations Supervisor

If you want to learn more about how GPS and aGPS works, you can visit Wikipedia for a detailed explanation.