2 April 2009

Sarantel Group PLC

("Sarantel" or "the Company")

Gartner names Sarantel "Cool Vendor" for its high performance GPS antenna technology that enables location based services

Sarantel's technology selected for positional accuracy and impact on battery performance

Sarantel (AIM: SLG), manufacturer of filtering antennas for mobile and wireless devices, was named as one of five "Cool Vendors in Mobile and Wireless 2009" in a new and influential report from Gartner Group ("Gartner"). 

Gartner defines a "Cool Vendor" as a company whose technology is innovative, impactful and intriguing, with a strong emphasis on enabling new possibilities. 

Gartner highlighted Sarantel's ceramic antenna technology because of its improved signal quality, which enables superior accuracy and more efficient use of battery power - essential features for the new generation of GPS-equipped handheld devices. Gartner believes that this that will enable a new wave of location-based consumer services ("LBS").    

"The increasing availability of GPS in mobile phones is creating exciting new commercial possibilities in location-based services," explains Annette Zimmermann, Senior Research Analyst at Gartner. "Mobile-device vendors that want to offer LBS  need to consider positional accuracy, usage model and battery life, since these are vital aspects of the positive consumer experience essential for mass adoption and continued innovation."

Sarantel's recently launched LBS Pro antenna supports the mobile industry's changing GPS requirements through the following benefits:

Less battery drainage: 

The antenna's GeoHelix technology, with more than 300 International patents, enables better GPS chip performance and lower energy consumption than with commodity antennas.  This is mainly due to the antenna's superior omnidirectional 'gain pattern' which enables it to quickly locate a large range of satellites, even in urban settings. The longer it takes for an antenna to locate satellites, the faster it drains the battery.  

Higher performance: 

Conventional GPS antennas perform badly in "urban canyons" and close to the human body, where tall buildings and the human body cause interference with the GPS signal. But these are exactly the conditions under which personal navigation devices must operate if location-based services are to thrive.    

Because of its superior performance close to the body, the LBS Pro can deliver highly accurate positioning in urban and town-centre environments, with turn-by-turn directions being delivered via headphones from a GPS device kept in the pocket - the safer option for pedestrians. 

The antenna is accurate enough to identify on which side of the road it is, thus improving the user's experience as they navigate their way through busy streets. Gartner's report also noted the potential for Sarantel's LBS Pro antennas to power highly accurate child-tracking devices, where this high level of accuracy will be paramount.   

David Wither, CEO, Sarantel said: 

"We are delighted that Gartner has chosen us as a "Cool Vendor" as it confirms our belief that in order for handset manufacturers to enable the next wave of location based services, they need to consider the consumer experience and provide solutions which are reliable, robust and accurate.". 

About Gartner's Cool Vendors Selection Process

Gartner's listing is designed to highlight interesting, new and innovative vendors, products and services, rather than an exhaustive list of vendors in a technology area.

The report highlights vendors with potential in the mobile location-aware and messaging markets that business leaders should consider if they are interested in finding new opportunities to grow or transform their operation.  

Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness of a particular purpose. 

The report is available to purchase on www.gartner.com.

About the LBS Pro

Sarantel LBS Pro is built on Sarantel's GeoHelix filtering technology, which is less susceptible to energy loss and de-tuning in the presence of the human body because its near-field energy is stored within its ceramic core.

This is a fundamental advantage of Sarantel's technology and explains why conventional GPS antennas don't work properly when worn close to the body. Today mobile GPS users are expected to hold their mobile phones in their hand away from their body, which is not a natural way to use this technology and potentially unsafe in urban environments.

Interested parties can order sample kits from https://samples.sarantel.com/ 

About Sarantel

Sarantel is a leader in the design of high-performance miniature antennas for portable wireless applications. Sarantel's revolutionary ceramic filtering antennas offer dramatically improved performance over existing antenna designs, resulting in a clearer signal, better range and a 90 per cent reduction in the amount of signal radiation absorbed by the body. Because of their smaller size and higher capabilities, Sarantel's antennas enable manufacturers to create innovative wireless products for the GPS, WiMax, Satellite Radio and Satellite phone markets. 

www.sarantel.com

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