Sonera has launched a new service for its mobile phone customers to provide the user with clear and easy-to-use route and address information and maps on the mobile phone. Sonera Navigator is equally suited for users moving by car, by bicycle and by foot.

A small GPS device connected to the mobile phone shows the user's current map location on the display. A route from the office to the nearest restaurant, for example, is shown on the phone's display, and the phone guides the user to the destination by giving voice instructions when to go straight ahead and when to turn.
 
The service comprises an atlas covering almost the entire Europe. Sonera Navigator makes it easy to move and to find your way both in towns and in rural areas. Even in an unfamiliar place, you can easily find a service station or, in case of emergency, the nearest hospital. On a summer holiday, when you are at the wheel or in the middle of the attractions of Paris, for example, you can do fine without the large maps of travel guides when you have Sonera Navigator. The service can also be used without a GPS device: although the actual navigation feature cannot be used, the routes and instructions are still clearly indicated on the map displayed on the mobile phone.

"In Sonera Navigator you only pay for what you use. There is no need to buy navigator devices or atlases worth hundreds of euros to your car or phone. The atlas in this service is automatically updated four times a year, and you pay for it only for the period you want. Also, there are no extra costs in Finland for data transmission," says Director Pasi Mehtonen of TeliaSonera Finland.

Sonera Navigator operates on phones with Java and Bluetooth functionalities. Such phones are, for example, the phones of the Nokia S60 and Nokia S40 series and most new mobile phones of Sony Ericsson. You can download the Sonera Navigator service from the Sonera Surfport service menu to your mobile phone or order a download link to your phone by sending the text message "Linkki Navigaattori" to 15400. GPS devices can be bought at Sonera Piste shops and other shops selling Sonera products. The shops are selling a separate Sonera Navigator package, which comprises a GPS device, loading device, holder for the car and one month of service usage.

You can test the service for 5 days free of charge. After this you can opt for a 7-day licence or an uninterrupted licence, both of which are charged for by the application of SMS invoicing. Further, you can buy a licence for a year and pay it by credit card. A 7-day licence costs 4.95 euros, a monthly charge for an uninterrupted licence is 9.95 euros, and a 1-year licence costs 94.95 euros. The service is produced by Appello Systems.