Lahore: Wasif Mustafa, Director VAS, Market Development, LDI and IR, Mobilink and Omar S Hatmi, Chief Operating Officer, Trakker signed an agreement to launch Mobi Track, Pakistan’s first cell phone based on navigation service.
Mobilink has announced to launch Pakistan’s first cell-phone based onnavigation service ‘Mobi Track.’
The introduction of Mobi Track, the cell phone basedon mobile navigation solution with street level navigation and search facility is another milestone for Mobilink which continues to reiterate its commitment to providing cutting edge communication solutions to its customers in Pakistan.
Wasif Mustafa, Director VAS, IR, LDI & Market Development, Mobilink said, “Mobi Track is a first-of-its-kind cell phone based navigation service in Pakistan. The use of state-of-the-art digital mapping system enables users not only to find their way to specific destinations but also includes options to locate the nearest ATM, favorite restaurants, fuel stations etc. The interface is hassle free, enhancing the user experience and making this service one to watch out for.”
Initially covering Karachi, Lahore & Islamabad, and nationwide highway (N5)/motorway networks, Mobi Track relies on the extensive maps provided by Trakker, the region’s largest vehicle tracking & fleet management service provider.
Omar S Hatmi, COO Trakker shared, “We are happy to have partnernership with Mobilink to initiate this ground-breaking service and hope cell phone users in Pakistan will be able to enjoy the convenience and comfort of GPS navigation powered by Trakker NAV. We are committed to empower our partners in the Telecom industry with best-in-class navigation products for the benefit of Pakistani consumers.”
Customers can subscribe to this service by typing ‘Test’ and sending it to short code ‘1000’ from any Mobilink number. As an introductory offer Mobilink subscribers can avail 5-day free trial of the service. Mobi Track is compatible with most medium range and high end mobile handsets, It allows users to search the shortest path to their destination from current location with the help of turn-by-turn voice guidance function. Using the route demo function, a user can also check the estimated travel-time and familiarize with the actual route before even starting the trip. A user can plan an optimal path to his destination with the help of “easiest, fastest or shortest route” function, including a trip report to enable user to further analyze the trip and help plan future trips more efficiently.
Well… what if we compare it with Google Maps.. how better or bad it will be ? in terms of comparison
google map does not give very detaled views.especially to street levels…some streets of islamabad have been covered my google maps but lot more needs to be done
I downloaded the application in the morning as soon as I saw the ad in “The NEWS”. I have a BB curve (with a built-in GPS receiver) and had Google maps installed before I installed MobiTrack. I am a Navigation freak and I use Google maps very often but now I have a new toy, MobiTrack. So what does MobiTrack bring to the table?
The search options in MobiTrack are more user-friendly and extensive as you can do a POI (restaurant, bank, hospital etc.) search and also a house/street level address search. The POIs are basically divided into categories and sub-categories and the address search is currently for Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad only. The maps do not display all POIs unless you request for them unlike Google Maps. I think its better this way as it removes the clutter because sometimes you just want to see the road network. MobiTrack also has turn-by-turn voice guided navigation which is lacking in Google maps, this option can be very useful if you have you handset in the car, you won’t have to look at the phone all the time since there is a voice prompt which will guide your every maneuver and even recalculate the route if you take an inadvertent detour. Once you further explore into the application you will find that every subscriber also gets a user id/pw to a web portal “www.trakkernav.com” which is awesome as you can do all those things on the application and more, e.g. calculating trips and managing trip reports etc. Another advantage of MobiTrack is that since its being launched by Mobilink, it is going to have a customer support base, something Google maps will always lack.
There a couple of advantages of Google maps like its absolutely free (except for GPRS charges), it can support any network, it switches to GSM aided location service if GPS is unavailable.
In my personal opinion, I would give MobiTrack a shot, it is the first time something like this has happened in Pakistan and it comes with a 5-day free trial! And as my experience with Google maps is that sometimes the maps are inaccurate. Can you believe that I even found Trakker NAV on Facebook?
thanks for your detailed service review; it gonna help many readers
Finally! “Proper” mobile navigation in Pakistan. Lets hope it works “Properly”.;)
Well.. i have downloaded the mobilink application on my handset and its nice. I wont give it 10/10 because when i tried to find a few markets in lahore, it couldnt find them and same for Islamabad. I havent tried the voice directions feature yet but i think i will prefer Google Maps coz i have been using it for a couple of weeks now and the “Latitude” feature where you can track your friends is way too cool! PLUS, its free. I used MobiTrack once and might use it for the next four days when its free, but after 5 days, i defnitely will not be spending 300 Rs for this. Its not worth it specially if you know where to get the Google Maps application from :)
It’s a good application, interesting and easy to use but i will never spend Rs. 300 for it. I hope mobilink lowers the price so that prepay customers like me can afford and enjoy the service too :)
The ultimate feature in any Navigation application is to provide accurate routing to its users. This feature is totally rocking in MobiTack and not yet available in Google maps.
I have used the latitude option and admit that it’s very cool, however, after a while I didn’t want “ALL” my friends to know where I was, so I had to remove selected ones from the list which was a drag cuz later on they got pissed off at me. On the other hand, if you play around with MobiTrack you realize that it has a feature to SHARE location!! Any particular location on the map or even a POI can be shared with both MobiTrack and non-MobiTrack users. Non-MobiTrack users will receive the area location (if it’s a random position on the map) and detailed POI information if a POI is shared, in both cases information will be displayed as text in an SMS. If shared with a MobiTrack user, they will receive the accurate location and it will automatically be stored in the “Received Destination folder” and even synchronized with your web account!
As far as the price is concerned; maybe we should think for a moment about the development costs of such a project. Google Maps are editable by anyone; hence, the accuracy is not something which can be depended upon. The other companies behind MobiTrack application are Trakker, deCarta and Appello! Check out the following link: http://www.appello.se/nav11/appello/portal.jsp?page=news&id=51&language=en
Since one of the partners include Trakker, I am pretty sure they would have human tracking in mind as a future update for the application, which would also mean higher pricing.
PS. Did you find those markets you were looking for in Google maps?
We keep on forgetting the voice option in Mobi-track which is far more convenient than simple goggle maps
secondly guys 300/- a month is damm cheap isnt it :-)
What is the difference between this mobile tracking and GPS services? I think GPS is much better service but now available in Pakistan. This service..Mobitrack is like Latitude of google. So your actual location can not be shown 100% right.
Lets be clear – Latitude or Google maps is ” Maps” Mobitrack is “Navigation” hell of a difference between teh two and their usage needs. .
to answer Saleem khan: Mobitrack is GPS based. Mobile tracking is to an extent that the maps are delivered to handset via GPRS. Thus not need for high capacity storage on handset.
I tried Mobitrack and teh poistion is 100% accurate. It tells you where you are and when you need to make a u Turn. just too great.
I also tried U track ( its maps not Navigation) ….. like the name says, U have to track yourself. No prper navigation, no positioning – I think Ufone product is not ready, and they just had to launch a ” me too” product. I guess more to get a marketing mileage.
Mobi track however is i think good for Pakistan, where we dont normally need a tracking device, but need to have it for our irregular trips to other cities – to find difficult streets numbers of islamabad or to go to Lahore Defence or township or for that matter trying to find a coffee shop on Zamzama.
I also use Latitude.. for toitally different purposes. to track friends and family in this Difficult law and order times – so it rocks in that way, but it cannot do the job of a special navigation system. its MAPS.
I am happy . will spend the 300 per month. Its worth it.
Have any of you tried Garmin. Its a Navigation software with pretty detailed maps. Works like a charm. The Map is on your Handset so no need for GPRS. you will need GPS though.
I have a nokia 6220 classic phone, but i cant get the maps for pakistan (from nokia maps)…. any clues on where to find them, or something similar …… plus, the forum mentioned that its 300/month, but i’m sure this feature uses gprs, what about the cost if we add that as well ???
You have a great phone and it is supported by MobiTrack. Check out the handset compatible list from https://www.trakkernav.com/site/portal.jsp?section=compatible
Nokia Maps do not have Pakistan coverage.
Rs. 295+tax does not include GPRS charges. From what I know MobiTrack does not download all the map in one go i.e. it only downloads only what is required and intelligently uses its cache so it wouldn’t have to download the map again if recalled in the same session. The speed is quite good which means there is no heavy downloading. Even if you extensively use it I am pretty sure you won’t be able download anything over 5 MB in one month.(MobiTrack downloads only)
I don’t think Mobilink charges much for 5 MB. They have various packages. I use the unlimited one in which I pay around 500 per month and can download as much as I want.
There is a wonderful navigation solution from Tracking World which is tracking and Navigation provider has now made it available on mobiles which is better then mibitrack, no monthly charges and no GPRS charges. Just get it once and use forever.
I got one for my Nokia-E71 and its awsome – simply THE BEST in everybody’s budget.
It also works for Symbian S60 mobile, Palm , Windows mobiles.
you can contact
[email protected]
wwwtrackingworld.com.pk
or call
(42) 111 22 66 66
No GPRS charges, you have got to be kidding! Does the application download the maps on your phone?
I went to the website you mentioned and there is no download option for mobile phones. Please guide.
Yes, this application doesn’t need GPRS, maps are installed on Phone and run as fast as it runs in our Navigation devices and with Voice Prompts for each turn
Further , you need to bring us your phone set and we will install it for you, please note it’s one time Charge send us email on [email protected]
for mobitrack we have to pay
application cost: Rs: 295 plus
Tax: Rs: 82
GPRS Charges: Rs: 500 for unlimited
Total: Rs: 877 per month.
its better to get the application one time from Tracking World application and enjoy for life.
How much do you charge for your maps? Which cities of Pakistan does it cover? What about map updates; how often do you update your POIs and will you charge every time you install updated maps on my cell? What if my phone gets stolen or lost?
first time cost is Rs:5000/-
currently over 30-cities with all highways are covered and maps are upgraded twice a year and no need to pay for upgrades during othat period and you can use for the rest of the life. Its real time Navigation not dependent on GPRS and only 3-cities coverage.
What if my phone gets stolen, is there a charge for installing the application and maps on a new handset?
Keep caring your mobile sir – its your asset by the way.
Dear Ali,
We live in Pakistan where cell snatching is very common. From what I understand is that if I lose my cell then I lose the 5000 rupees investment as well. As for now, I will stick to MobiTrack. I believe its a much better solution than any other currently being offered. I also have the option of generating and extracting trip reports from my web account.
Hi ALI,
Isn’t there a forum which provides free routable maps for khi, lhr and isb for Garmin installed on cellphones?
you can experience on line routable maps at
http://www.naqsha.net
i don’t think so , as complete routable maps of Pakistan is only offered Naqsha.net Team and other available maps are either not routable or not accurate
NOT True!
1) Download and install MobiTrack
2) Get your user id and pw from your handset
3) Log on to http://www.trakkernav.com
4) Experience faster route mapping with option to export to pdf and excel formats
Hi Ali,
I have Garmin on my phone and copied map from pkmaps.freeforums.org. These are really detailed and routable. Doing a good job for me so far. Besides they are regularly updated.
is it necessary for having a mobilink sim card to unlock the trial license cuz i hav trouble sending sms to 1000 as i hav zong sim
Unfortunately MobiTrack is only being offered to Mobilink’s postpaid and prepaid users. I have this feeling that soon the application will be available to all networks. Mobilink’s doing a _______ job to market this wonderfull app.
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Cheers for all the help and tips, Symbian can be funny, imagiane if we had to do this kind of thing with Windows!
Thus, the government has finally achieved the power to control and direct the inflation of the banking system. ,
Latest inside news for MobiTrack users: MobiTrack has revised its monthly subscription price to Rs 180 + tax. They have also changed the 5-day trial period to 30-days for all those who haven’t tried it yet. I also heard that those people who used MobiTrack for 5-days but didn’t subscribe can get a 30-day trial. I’ve been using it for many months now and recently downloaded the application again on the same hanset as it was accidentally deleted – I can see that they’ve added the following new cities in addition to Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad: Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Multan, Gujrat, Raiwind, Hyderabad, Peshawar along with all the major highways! I got all this info from the ‘Trakker NAV’ page on facebook.
why Mobitrack is not covering a single city in balochistan which 43% of the country???????????????
why Mobitrack is not covering a single city in balochistan which is 43% of the country???????????????
why Mobitrack is not covering single city in balochistan which is 43% of the country???????????????
hi gb;
you forgot to mention that Baluchistan also covers ONLY 5% approx population of Pakistan. So settlements and cities are not as developed.
However, Mobitrack does cover Quetta completely and i found Sui, and about every city when searched for them using addresses.