Sarantel, a leading innovator in the design and manufacture of miniature antennas for portable and mobile wireless devices, announces today that TomTom will be using its GeoHelix GPS antenna in the new TomTom Bluetooth GPS receiver. Sarantel’s GeoHelix GPS antenna was selected because it ensures TomTom’s newest navigation solutions TomTom MOBILE 5 for mobile phones and TomTom NAVIGATOR 5 for PDA’s have the best possible GPS reception across all locations and environments.
TomTom MOBILE 5 and TomTom NAVIGATOR 5 include the latest personal navigation software and maps with the smallest and lightest wireless Bluetooth GPS receiver on the market. TomTom has embedded Sarantel’s high performance GPS antenna into its own high sensitivity Bluetooth GPS receiver, which is so sensitive it can be placed in a pocket or bag, without line of sight required, to ensure that users have reliable reception in urban environments, on the road, on foot – or wherever they go.
As the Bluetooth GPS receiver needs to work in close proximity to the user, TomTom required an embedded GPS antenna capable of working next to the body. The GPS antenna also needed to be lightweight and small enough to meet the challenging design criteria set for the product for ultimate customer usability. The Sarantel antenna was selected for its small size, exceptional beamwidth and extremely low near field, which allows it to work within millimetres of signal absorbing bodies – such as human tissue – without affecting performance or impacting the customer.
Harold Goddijn, TomTom’s Chief Executive Officer says: “The sensitivity of the Sarantel GPS antenna ensures the accuracy of the TomTom Bluetooth GPS receiver, even when it is in a bag or a pocket. The antenna is, in my opinion, a major contributor to our GPS receiver’s excellent performance and ensures that TomTom NAVIGATOR 5 AND TomTom MOBILE 5 are easy to use and for the first time make personal navigation truly mobile.”
David Wither, Chief Executive Officer for Sarantel says: “TomTom’s new Bluetooth GPS receiver is breaking new ground in personal navigation and it represents a first for the personal navigation market. We are delighted to have been selected for this unique and truly innovative personal navigation system that assists consumers in easily getting to their destination, no matter the form of travel.”
About TomTom
TomTom BV is a leading provider of personal navigation products and services. TomTom’s products are easy-to-use and include all-in-one navigation devices, as well as navigation software products which integrate with third party devices such as PDAs and smartphones. TomTom BV was founded in 1991 in Amsterdam and has offices in The Netherlands, United Kingdom, France and USA. TomTom’s products are sold through a network of top retailers in 16 countries. To learn more about TomTom, visit: http://www.tomtom.com.
About Sarantel
Sarantel Limited is a dynamic, young company that develops and manufactures a new generation of miniature ceramic antennas for wireless communications. The antennas benefit mobile wireless products in the GPS, Wireless LAN, Satellite and voice telecommunications markets. Based on 20+ years of research and development, the company has over 200 worldwide patents and manufactures this enabling antenna technology for all facets of the rapidly growing global telecommunications markets. The parent company, Sarantel PLC, is based in Wellingborough, England, with subsidiaries in Seattle, USA (Sarantel USA) and in Singapore (Sarantel Asia Pacific). It is publicly traded on the AiM market under the symbol SLG.
The company has a strong engineering team and has leading edge laser and robotic manufacturing facilities in the UK. It sells products both directly and via distribution channels in over 150 countries and is implementing a high volume manufacturing facility in China via partner relationships.
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Fuse PR for Sarantel Sonia Panchal, 020 8956 2303 sonia@fusepr.com