Although location based services (LBS) have been around for many years, it has taken some time to refine the technology and develop feasible (and monetised) applications beyond social platforms such as Foursquare. Defined by Gartner as ‘services based on the location of a mobile user as determined by using network and/or mobile-device-based technology’, it appears that LBS is finally showing the promise that many had predicted.

“Location based services have emerged as one of the hottest growth areas for the worldwide mobile applications and telecommunications industries,” says Quentin Joubert, product manager at Cellfind, a subsidiary of Blue Label Telecoms. “We’re expecting this market to keep heating up throughout the year, with growing competition driving massive innovation in LBS.”