Mobile LBS is still in the emerging stages in China. Awareness among non-users is still very low. In-Stat's consumer survey, however, found that GPS phones and smartphones are very important in encouraging the use of mobile location-based services.

GPS phone or smartphone users have more opportunity to use mobile LBS and are also in general quite prepared to buy a GPS phone; potential users, on the other hand, generally have more moderate interest in mobile LBS.

We think that the growth of the GPS phone market in China will be driven by the supply side rather than the demand side, as handset makers plan to make their products more attractive by adding a GPS function. In-Stat estimates that shipments of GPS phones reached 800,000 by the end of 2007. We forecast that by 2012 this figure will reach 18 million.

Navigation, local search, and map display are popular mobile location-based services in China. But mobile navigation faces challenges from in-car navigation and the PND. Finally, the new trend in mobile LBS is integrating it with other services such as social networking services (SNS) and gaming.

This report provides an overview of China's mobile LBS market and forecasts for GPS phone shipments in China. It also provides the results of a survey of over 550 current and potential users of mobile LBS in order to better understand their attitudes toward the technology.

Related Links
"The GPS Phone and Smartphone-Key to Future of Mobile LBS in China"
GPS Applications, Technology and Suppliers