HERE Technologies launches mobility services marketplace
Here Technologies announced its Open Mobility Marketplace at CES 2018 that serves as a hub for supplying and requesting mobility services. Not only will it connect customers with suppliers, the Open Mobility Marketplace will allow customers to compare prices of mobility services in one central portal.
Here will allow suppliers of any size to offer their services through the Marketplace, which it hopes will reduce the technology gap between smaller companies and big established players. Any entity will then be able to compare, select, and consume mobility services that move goods and people.
"From airlines offering facilitated transportation choices to and from destinations, to hotels enabling customers to find the most convenient ways of moving around, to large event venues broadening the transportation horizons of attendees, to self-service kiosks situated in public places, the Mobility Marketplace has countless possible use cases," Here wrote in marketing material.
Further, Here plans to launch a beta of The Mobility SDK to help demand partners develop apps that connect to the Open Mobility Marketplace with features for managing rides within their own interface.
The Marketplace is launched out of Here Technologies new mobility unit, led by Liad Itzhak, the former Head of Data at Waze. Here is also launching a new tool called Mobility Dispatch that will be integrated with the Marketplace to enable dispatchers to manage and optimize the use of their fleet with increased visibility and insight. Essentially, Here wants to help fleets better match their supply with demand.
"Mobility is at the core of our lives, and vital for businesses and consumers in the on-demand economy where standards and expectations have risen," Itzhak said in a statement. "Here Mobility strives to solve a real market need that provides consumers and businesses with true freedom of mobility. Our solutions democratize a fragmented and siloed industry, opening new channels to access the best mobility tools and services available."
Here is hoping to secure its spot in a growing mobility industry. According to TechSci Research in October, the global mobility on demand market will grow to $228 billion by 2022, fueled by new services like e-hailing, ride sharing, car rental, and more powerful mobile networks like 5G.
There's no word on when the new mobility features will launch in 2018. We'll be tracking more details at CES 2018.