what3words Launches Addressing System in Arabic

London, April 10, 2017 – what3words, the multi-award winning location reference system, has launched in Arabic, and immediately embarked upon a host of strategic partnerships, to bring its precision addressing infrastructure to a market of over 230 million Arabic speaking people across the globe.

what3words is an address system based on a global grid of 57 trillion 3m x 3m squares, where each square has a unique pre-assigned 3-word address. The system is fast becoming an essential solution in both mature markets and rapidly developing economies. 5 national postal services have adopted the system over the past 6 months and 3 word addresses are also being used to extend precision mapping and navigation for those developing autonomous vehicle systems and drone technology.

what3words is being adopted across national addressing infrastructure, ecommerce systems, on-demand service delivery, transportation and tourism to help drive new operational efficiencies and boost economic development.

In addition to leading ecommerce and logistics business Aramex, brands across the Middle East like Jaguar Land Rover and Saudi e-commerce company vanilla.sa,, are using the revolutionary 3 word addressing system to improve customer experience, tap into new customer bases and market opportunities.

The annual global geospatial industry is estimated to be worth US $150 billion and what3words brings the precision and simplicity of 3 word addresses to bear on the transportation, logistics and delivery challenges faced across the world.

Countries across the Middle East continue to report an accelerated pace of infrastructure development and urbanisation in light of strategic initiatives like Smart Dubai, UAE Vision 2021, Saudi Vision 2030 and Expo 2020. The need to deploy accurate and consistent location referencing and addressing has fast become a priority to improve citizen satisfaction, social development and economic diversification.

Available in Modern Standard Arabic (i.e. no regional deviations in vocabulary or spelling), the what3words Arabic language glossary was developed by a team of over 30 native Arabic speakers from across eight countries in the region. The breadth and experience of the team coupled with the hours of rigorous testing ensures that the Arabic language version is clear and intuitive for Arabic speakers across the region.

Chris Sheldrick, CEO and Co-founder of what3words commented: “Location is at the heart of business operations and a number of future technological shifts. The power of our technology allows businesses and governments to become more efficient and improves the lives of people around the world. Our partners encapsulate a huge variety of uses for precision addressing – from more efficient deliveries to better transport, and fueling people’s appetite for adventure. The addition of the Arabic language enables what3words access for a growing ecosystem of people and companies across the Middle East and the world, marking a new milestone for our own business.”
Available in fourteen languages, including Arabic, English, and French, what3words is used by individuals, delivery companies, navigation tools, governments, logistics firms, travel guides and NGOs. It is more precise than traditional addresses, simpler than descriptions, and easier to communicate and remember than long strings of GPS coordinates. The system has built-in error detection and is available both as a mobile app and API integration. The system works offline without a data connection, ensuring it can be used everywhere.

Customer Success

what3words has already partnered with the global logistics giant Aramex, which is using 3 word addresses in its e-commerce fulfilment operations across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Precision addressing with what3words sharply reduces the delivery cost on the vital “last mile” of the logistics chain.

what3words is helping tourists across the Arab speaking world find places they want to visit and avoid getting lost. Landmark Hotels & Suites are displaying 3 word addresses for hotels in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. With vast number of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) visitors driving themselves to Landmark properties, the new service enhances the arrival experience.

Automotive giant Jaguar Land Rover has used 3 word addresses in ARDHI, an off-road adventuring app for MENA (Middle East and Africa) so drivers can discover and pinpoint the hidden gems of the Middle East, share their favourite off-road spots and know they’ll never get lost.

“The real story of the land lies beyond the roads,” said Mohammed Jaradat, Marketing Manager for Jaguar Land Rover Middle East. “ARDHI is the world’s first off-roading app, giving drivers a way to discover new paths and share their routes with the world. what3words offers the perfect driving companion, providing pinpoint location accuracy, wherever the journey takes us.”

Backed by the Dubai government to bring autonomous vehicles to Dubai, Next Future Transportation is using what3words to overcome the pin-drop challenge in navigating its driverless pods. When relying on traditional addresses, digital maps usually drops a pin in the center of a building – a spot that would be impossible for a driverless car to get to. Instead of using GPS co-ordinates, which are complicated and difficult to say or remember, Next Future Transportation is using what3words to guide its modular transportation system to the correct pick-up and drop-off points.

Saudi Arabia based vanilla.sa is also using 3 word addresses to enhance e-commerce. Vanilla, a women’s clothing retailer with the largest Instagram following in the Arab world, is accepting 3 word addresses at its online checkout to ensure that every customer gets their package exactly where they need it.