MalaysiaGIS.com

Kuala Lumpur: Men with the debilitating inability to ask directions can now use their WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) phones to find out the location of Caltex petrol stations.

Caltex Malaysia Limited has launched a service that provides listings and maps of its service stations on its wap.caltex.com.my WAP page. Handphone users can access maps, addresses and contact details of service stations nearest to them.

Promotional information for the station's convenient store, StarMart will also be broadcasted.

"The location maps will provide basic directions in relation to landmarks," said Hishamuddin Mohamed, chief executive officer of WAP content provider Alaf Kreatif Sdn Bhd, which developed the service for Caltex.

The WAP service will be rolled out in three phases. Currently, it provides a listing of the 60 Caltex service stations located in the Klang Valley and along major highways.

The second phase will extend the service to major towns like Ipoh and Penang. The last phase, to be completed by year-end, will list the remaining service stations in Malaysia.

Caltex has about 300 stations throughout the country.

According to Caltex brand marketing manager Nor Raphil Abdul Rahman, the company plans to implement the service with a Global Positioning System (GPS) that could determine the exact location of a WAP phone user.

This would allow it, for instance, to proactively direct user to the nearest service station.

Caltex said it will talk to local telecommunication service providers, through Alaf Kreatif, about implementing GPS capabilities.

"Our windows are open from next week onwards to speak to the service providers," he said. Meanwhile, women drivers, we expect, will just continue to roll down their windows and ask for directions.