Alliance to add location to Wi-Fi silicon

Partnership will enable device makers to more easily support and launch location based services that satisfy consumer location needs.

CSR is working with Skyhook Wireless to add advanced location capabilities to its Wi-Fi silicon.

Skyhook Wireless' core technology, the Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS), is software that produces accurate location information by detecting Wi-Fi access points and comparing them against a known database of geo-located points.

By combining CSR's UniFi, embedded Wi-Fi chips and GPS location solutions with Skyhook's positioning capabilities, this partnership will enable device makers to more easily support and launch location based services that satisfy consumer location needs.

The technology provided by CSR and Skyhook will capitalise on the emergence of Wi-Fi enabled mobile devices and provide greatly enhanced positioning availability and accuracy for the growing location-based services market.

This technology will enable device makers and application developers to provide consumer-ready location technology that works quickly and accurately, indoors or outside.

The system will benefit consumers by enabling them to more quickly and reliably perform tasks such as planning a trip, finding friends nearby or locating the closest restaurant.

"In addition to CSR's eGPS developments, CSR is excited by the potential of Wi-Fi to provide an additional dimension to location information".

"Skyhook's Wi-Fi location technology is a perfect complement to CSR's leading Wi-Fi and fits well with our GPS developments", said Raj Gawera, Head of Marketing for CSR's Mobile Handset Connectivity Business Unit.

"By combining Wi-Fi location information provided by Skyhook's technologies to other location sensors, such as GPS, the system has a lot of potential for boosting location technologies".

"CSR is a leader in Wi-Fi and GPS solutions", said Michael Shean, Vice President of Business Development for Skyhook Wireless.

"Skyhook Wireless is pleased to partner with CSR in order to further the vision of ubiquitous location availability and reliable accuracy".

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