Verizon Is Mapping a New Road to Riches

"This is a trend that will take off with cell phones," says Ovum analyst Roger Entner.

"You need it occasionally as a regular consumer, but you need it frequently if you are a business traveler," says Entner, who estimates that 2008 will be the breakthrough year when GPS services account for more than $100 million in telco revenue.

The market for GPS receivers has heated up in recent months, with easy-to-use navigation devices entering the mainstream.

Today, the GPS business is dominated by outfits such as Garmin (GRMN Quote), which makes $400-plus portable dashboard receivers. Using mapping software and satellite signals, these devices pinpoint your location and tell you the turn-by-turn route to your destination.

Garmin posted a blockbuster quarter last week since GPS device sales took off during the holiday season. But some analysts think Garmin may have reached a peak as new rivals enter the picture to cash in new mass market gadget.

American Technology Research analyst Rob Sanderson reiterated his sell rating on Garmin in a note Thursday, saying the company has had the personal navigation device market to itself for too long.

"Many competing PND's are coming to market and cellular operators/smartphone vendors see an opportunity with GPS navigation," wrote Sanderson.

The cell-phone-navigation linkup's appeal seems real, says Ovum's Entner.