Rosum

About Rosum

Rosum Corporation was a technology firm established in 2000, which developed a specialized mobile positioning technology. The company's key offering was an alternative location system that utilized broadcast television signals to determine a user's position, a method particularly effective in urban and indoor environments where traditional GPS signals were often unreliable. This technology was designed to work in conjunction with GPS in a hybrid model, leveraging the high power of TV signals which can penetrate buildings more effectively than satellite signals.

The core of Rosum's product was a system-on-a-chip (SOC) that could be integrated into various devices. This technology monitored analog and digital television signals to provide accurate and dependable mobile positioning. The firm's solution involved placing radio chips in customer equipment to receive and interpret TV signals, calculating the device's position through a process of "multilateration." The target applications for this technology included enhanced 911 services, asset tracking, and other location-based services where continuous connectivity was critical. Rosum's business model focused on providing this positioning technology to partners for integration into their own hardware, such as mobile devices and navigation systems.

The company secured multiple rounds of venture capital funding, including a notable investment from In-Q-Tel, the CIA's investment arm. Over its operational history, Rosum raised a total of $38.6 million. In September 2011, Rosum Corporation was acquired by TruePosition, a company specializing in location-determination solutions.