ABI Research reports that the number of global mobile navigation device users is set to grow to 26 million by 2010. ABI says that PNDs and in-dash navigation device sales are slipping in the global economic recession, but sales of smartphones are booming. Along with the booming smartphone sales, more users are signing up for navigation services on mobile phones.

The region of strongest growth for mobile nav services will be the Asia-Pacific region. Navigation software is being launching for all major smartphone platforms including Android, iPhone, and webOS. ABI points out that there are still some barriers to entry for many mobile users, the largest of which is cost.

Many navigation services on mobile phones carry significant monthly recurring costs. AT&T Navigator on the iPhone is a good example with a monthly cost of about $10 for using the service. ABI says that one possible route for carriers to get more users on mobile navigation is with ad-supported free nav services.

Via ABI