Grab launched a pilot program Monday integrating high-accuracy, lane-level GPS positioning into its GrabMaps service to boost navigation precision for driver- and delivery-partners navigating Singapore’s dense urban landscape.
The initiative, Southeast Asia’s first to embed such technology directly into mobile phones and apps, partners with OPPO, Qualcomm Technologies and Swift Navigation to deliver up to 10 times greater accuracy than standard GPS, tackling signal disruptions from skyscrapers, multi-level roads and underground tunnels.
The pilot, which began in October with nearly 250 participants including 60 equipped with OPPO’s Find N5 foldable smartphones powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, aims to cut estimated time of arrival errors, reduce ride cancellations and streamline last-mile logistics, the company said.
The new system also leverages Swift Navigation’s cloud-based Skylark Precise Positioning Service, whichg draws on atmospheric modeling and Singapore’s national reference network to correct satellite signals in real time, enabling pinpoint location tracking even in challenging outdoor spots. For underground areas like hotel basements and mall carparks at Marina Bay Sands or Millenia Walk, Grab supplements with lidar mapping from its KartaCam devices, handing off to dead-reckoning algorithms that maintain turn-by-turn guidance without GPS.
Grab officials described the pilot as a foundational step toward full lane-level navigation across its Southeast Asian markets, promising riders more reliable ETAs and fewer delays while enhancing overall service efficiency in one of the world’s most compact cities.
In other Swift Navigation news:
- The company partnered with Quectel Wireless Solutions to launch a real-time kinematic (RTK) correction service aimed at delivering centimeter-level accuracy for IoT devices. The collaboration will see Quectel combine its RTK-enabled GNSS modules and antennas with Swift’s Skylark Precise Positioning Service.
