Nokia buying NAVTEQ

The headline really does tell the whole story in this case: Finnish telecom giant Nokia has announced its intention to purchase one of the world's two digital mapping powerhouses (the other being TomTom target TeleAtlas) in an $8 billion deal that should result in some pretty sick location-based services on your next N-series phone. Nokia expects to have pulled NAVTEQ into the fold by the end of Q1 2008; all hail NokTEQ.

[Thanks, Pdexter]

[Onno @ Oct 1st 2007 8:44AM]

I thought the main players in digital maps were NavTeq and TeleAtlas. The latter has been acquired by TomTom recently.
Consolidation.
Maps + Devices
Come to think of it:
Logical next step would be Google acquiring a device manufacturer.
Or is iPhone close enough for Larry and Sergey?

[Jah @ Oct 1st 2007 8:51AM]

What are "pretty sick location-based services", perhaps this is a reference to 'travel sickness'?

[veryhumid @ Oct 1st 2007 9:02AM]

The other digital mapping provider is actually called "Tele Atlas," not "TeleNav." Hopefully some of the phone manufacturers will start incorperating this technology soon.

[Ike Turner @ Oct 1st 2007 9:08AM]

Ussshh.. listen...I can hear Google and Microsoft crying...

[Wwhat @ Oct 1st 2007 9:18AM]

How come the governments/EU doesn't supply the map data anyway? They make and maintain the roads with our taxes after all and know what's out there, seems like the traversal mapping should be included with that tax.
And if the EU feels it makes sense to support a multi billion euro new GPS satellite system then why not electronic mapping data for the people too? would nicely compliment it.

[Andrew @ Oct 2nd 2007 2:00AM]

The EU does not control all aspect of national governments.
There are several different ways of financing national geodata projects. The UK has a commercial company developing this data. While non-EU Norway uses a government controlled department to do it. The difference is that the Norwegian end result is *free* for other government departements to use. But for commercial projects the company in question has to purchase a license.
All across Europe the rights and development is done on a national basis - and the results are owned by different bodies.
The EU GPS project would have been owned by the consortium of private companies involved. The EU would have put up money to finance it - but would not have owned it.

[Wwhat @ Oct 2nd 2007 5:37PM]

Would have? Galileo is a go you know.
And if the EU wanted they COULD set up a EU wide public mapdata system.
Might of course take the EU several years to decide and it would be all watered down, because they are a bunch of politicians, but still.

[Emre Aydinceren @ Oct 1st 2007 9:59AM]

What about location based downloaded ads

[m0 @ Oct 1st 2007 10:18AM]

Google and Microsoft should cry :p Cause TomTom is the worlds best car navigation/map help in the world :)

Future Nokia Iphone will have a slick GPS w00t

[Ken @ Oct 1st 2007 10:27AM]

"What are "pretty sick location-based services", perhaps this is a reference to 'travel sickness'"

I think someone got the L out of there.

[Benson @ Oct 1st 2007 11:19AM]

@m0
Future NOKIA iPhone?
You mean the N800, right?
http://www.starryhope.com/tech/apple/2007/10-ways-the-nokia-n800-is-better-than-apples-iphone/
Yes, point 10 is now obsolete, and point 7 is weak (and fails to mention that the N800 works nicely with your existing BT phone), but it is pretty slick for having come out a year earlier. It's really only missing multitouch (and RIGHT HAND BUTTONS FOR GAMES! can you hear us, NOKIA?!)
And indeed, a version with wimax and gps is coming out early next year.

@Ken:
LOL, good one.

[L @ Oct 1st 2007 12:30PM]

You are aware that the N800 isn't a *phone*? It's a nice and capable device, but not a phone...

[z @ Oct 1st 2007 12:43PM]

Native skype support sounds like a phone to me.

[Victor @ Oct 1st 2007 1:48PM]

Am i the only one who sees this as a bad thing?

The beauty of such a company like navteq being independent is the neutrality of it's data being on any device it's willing to sell to. I'm pretty sure that nokia will pretty much limit what their competitors and customers do with the data....many of their direct competitors who used to use navteq maps won't have access to it, or will switch away to other databases that are less desirable.

Teleatlas + TomTom
Navteq + Nokia

Sad...

[Andrew @ Oct 2nd 2007 2:02AM]

Actually Nokia will probably *still* sell the data to finance the development of the maps. Otherwise they would bankrupt the company by removing the financing that created it in the first place! No, Nokia will not stop selling the data but perhaps offer preferential treatment and premium content for "free" to Nokia users :)