Quova Can Now Identify the Geographic Location of Web Visitors Using Wi-Fi Enabled Cell Phones and Laptops

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.-- Quova, Inc., the leading provider of Internet geolocation services, today announced the Navizon™ Wireless Locator, a permission-based application that can identify the location, down to a city street level, of Web visitors accessing the Internet from Wi-Fi enabled cell phones and laptops. The second extension to Quova’s Internet Location Intelligence platform, the Navizon Wireless Locator provides online businesses with accurate geographic data to locate and authenticate their Web visitors. Quova provides this alternative location tool for situations in which their Internet Protocol (IP) Intelligence data, which can identify a Web visitor’s location down to a 50 mile radius, may not provide sufficient granularity in pinpointing a location.

Online businesses including broadcasters, advertisers and online banks often need to make real-time business decisions about their Web visitors based on geographic considerations. These businesses need to understand where a Web visitor is located and what geographically-based regulations apply in that location in order to grant permission to view digital content or to serve a localised advertisement or search result. As mobile based Internet access increases these businesses have a need to extend their location techniques.

Offered through an alliance with Mexens Technology, Quova will resell the Navizon Wireless Locator as an extension to its GeoDirectory Server 6.0. The Navizon software is a wireless positioning system that doesn't require a GPS to provide its’ location based services. Instead it triangulates signals broadcasted from Wi-Fi access points and Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) cellular towers. The application uses the continuous wireless pings emitted by Wi-Fi transmitters to accurately calculate the position of a mobile device by measuring signal strength and applying proprietary algorithms.

The Navizon software works on any wireless network and is based on a collaborative database that is being enhanced daily by a growing membership of more than 60,000 users in 60 countries. Members use a GPS device to map the Wi-Fi and cellular landscape in their neighborhoods. Once a user synchronises their data it is made available to all the other users of the network so that a GPS device is not required for location purposes of that area in the future. In rural areas, most users are located through phone positioning from GSM cellular towers, and in densely populated urban areas users are primarily located using Wi-Fi signals. The current Navizon network is growing rapidly and today contains more than 10 million mapped Wi-Fi access points. Most urban cities in the U.S., Canada and Western Europe have already been completely mapped.

The Navizon software does not attempt to gain access to the Wi-Fi networks it maps, and neither Mexens Technology nor Quova collect or store any personally identifiable information about the Web visitor being located or about the owner of the Wi-Fi network. The data collected includes only information about the Internet connection including the IP and MAC addresses, the service set identifier (SSID) code, and the signal strength of the Wi-Fi access point. To respect individual privacy a user must grant permission and download the Navizon application in order to allow their phone or laptop to be located. A Web visitor might allow this access in order to access their online bank account, watch a baseball game on MLB.TV or to place a bet from their cell phone or laptop.

“A number of trends are converging today that make it critical for online businesses to know where their Web visitors are coming from,” said Marie Alexander, Quova’s CEO. “The need for better automated systems becomes even more important as the proliferation of mobile and wireless devices offers multiple channels for customers to access the Internet. Understanding customer location–what we call “Internet Location Intelligence” – is one of the most powerful and economical tools companies have to build and protect their online business Navizon shares a strong commitment to personal privacy, making their approach an easy addition to our platform.”

Quova’s GeoDirectory Server 6.0 – Internet Location Intelligence platform announced earlier this month can instantly identify the type of Internet connection a Web visitor is using and deploy the most effective technique to locate that device, whether it is IP geolocation or another real-time locating technique. The recently announced Proxy Locator and the Navizon Wireless Locator are the first two extensions to this platform and provide alternative location tools for situations in which the IP address may not be as accurate in pinpointing the Web visitor’s location.

“The geolocation synergies between Quova and the Navizon application were designed at the core,” said Cyril Houri, CEO and Founder of Mexens Technology. “Given Quova’s leadership in the Internet geolocation market, they were a natural partner for us to provide information to supplement their IP Intelligence data when greater granularity is required for locating a Web visitor.”

Availability

GeoDirectory Server 6.0 is available now and the Proxy Locator and Navizon Wireless Locators will be available in Q3 of 2007 directly through Quova and indirectly through authorised resellers and partners. Quova’s solution is comprised of data, software and targeted professional services and is priced on a subscription model with customers paying a fee based on the number of queries and type of use.

About Mexens Technology

Founded in early 2005 by Cyril Houri, Mexens Technology is a privately held software development company with headquarters in New York City. Houri’s first company, Infosplit which provided geolocating technologies, was acquired by Quova in 2004. Navizon is a software-only wireless positioning system that triangulates signals broadcasted from Wi-Fi access points and cellular towers to help the users find their way in most major metropolitan areas worldwide.

About Quova

Quova gives online businesses the ability to determine the geographic location of their Web visitors. The company offers the most comprehensive, deeply researched and reliable Internet geolocation data available today—without compromising individual privacy. Thousands of online businesses depend on Quova’s data and services to detect and prevent fraud, ensure regulatory compliance, manage digital content distribution, and localise ads and web content. The company’s customer base includes the top three search engine sites, Major League Baseball Advanced Media, the BBC, Ladbroke’s and Cisco Systems, and investors include Mobius Venture Partners and IDG. Quova was founded in 2000 and is based in Mountain View, California.