ICO Global Communications has entered into a partnership with Delphi to develop DVB-SH devices for its "ICO mim" service.

Under the agreement, ICO gets exclusive rights to all DVB-SH devices developed by Delphi for use in the mobile satellite services (MSS) spectrum band in North America over the next 3-years.

Delphi will design ICO's first aftermarket devices and units in are expected in December 2008. The alpha trials for the ICO mim service will start later this year in Raleigh-Durham, NC and Las Vegas, NV. 

The partnership with Delphi will also serve as a shoe-in for OEMs as the company will co-market ICO's interactive mobile video, navigation and emergency communications services to automakers.

"ICO is poised to deliver a unique interactive suite of mobile services for American consumers, and Delphi's extensive experience in mobile electronics makes them an ideal partner as we implement ICO's go-to-market strategy," said Craig Jorgens, president of ICO.

(Pictured is an alpha device used to demo ICO mim at CES 2008, it is not a Delphi device.)

Sirius and XM introduced their real-time traffic services in 2004, but even though they were fairly early to the game, they're definitely not the only ones focusing on the space.

Last week a group of broadcast corporations - comprised of Cox Radio, Entercom, Bonneville, Emmis, Beasley, Greater Media, Radio One, and NPR - formed a joint venture called the Broadcaster Traffic Consortium. The goal? To help monetize the HD Radio spectrum (which is in dire need of monetization). And they're working with NAVTEQ to make it happen.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Microsoft Research laboratories spent the last five years developing a complex software model to avoid traffic jams, called Clearflow.

Clearflow will be freely available as part of Live Maps, with support for 72 cities. It doesn't just reroute you around traffic jams, because in some cases rerouting off the highway can send you into even more congested areas. Instead, Clearflow will figure out whether its worthwhile to stick it out on the freeway, rather than taking a detour.

Of course Clearflow was created to help Live.com compete with Google, but how long before Microsoft applies the Clearflow technology to MSN Direct?

MSN Direct has snuggled up with Garmin over the years, and the folks at Redmond have even partnered with Clear Channel to deliver MSN Direct HD over - you guessed it - the HD Radio spectrum (note that Clear Channel isn't part of the consortium).

And then there's the ICO mim service - which yesterday enjoyed a successful launch of their ICO G1 satellite - that will be going online in the near future with a trial service. Their setup will be similar to Sirius and XM, using a hybrid satellite and terrestrial network (as opposed to HD Radio's pure terrestrial setup). ICO is still in its infancy when compared to these other technologies, but shouldn't be discounted either.

The bottom line is that the current solution for avoiding traffic congestion (i.e., listening to your local radio station) is a subpar one to say the least. By the time an accident is mentioned on the radio, it's usually too late. And the daily commuter will be more than happy to plunk down a few bucks a month when they're stuck in a mile-long jam.

Don't get me wrong, Sirius/XM were pretty darn smart in seeing this need and getting a shoe-in with automakers nearly 4 years ago. But this is still extremely new technology as far as the consumer goes. And as a need arises, there will be plenty of companies willing to profit from fulfilling it.

XM NavTraffic is continuing to grow in vehicle penetration. Today at the 2008 Dallas Auto Show, General Motors revealed that it is adding the satellite-driven data service to many of its vehicles.

GM will add XM NavTraffic across its lineup to provide real-time traffic data to 22 navigation-equipped vehicles in the 2009 model year.

Among the vehicles to offer XM NavTraffic will be some of GM's most popular models, including the Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Sierra, Buick Enclave, Saturn Vue and Hummer H2.

All GM models equipped with XM Radio and XM NavTraffic come standard with a 3-month free trial subscription. Click the jump to see close-up photos of the interface...