The Nokia mapping unit is owned by Volkswagen, BMW and Daimler now.
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The American global transportation network company has made a concerted effort to expand its mapping capabilities in recent months. It then acquired a portion of Microsoft’s map technology and hired about 100 of engineers from Microsoft’s mapping team. The ride-hailing service also tried to acquire Nokia’s mapping business for $3 billion before it was sold to a consortium of Germany-based automakers.
On-demand transportation service Uber lost out on its joint bid for Nokia’s Here mapping unit, so it’s moving ahead with putting together its own navigation, mapping and location services.
Dutch vehicle navigations systems maker TomTom said Thursday it has inked a deal with Uber to supply the U.S. ride-sharing service’s drivers with maps in more than 300 cities globally.
“We are excited to provide Uber with our best-in-class location data”, said Charles Cautley, Managing Director Maps & Licensing at TomTom. “Their mapping and traffic data will help ensure we continue to provide a great experience for drivers everywhere”. The head of product partnerships at the transportation network firm said that the company is looking forward to work with a leader in the navigation and mapping space. It is not replacing Google Maps, nor any other services that Uber now uses. Its map-based components include map content, online map-based services, real-time traffic, and navigation software. Uber says that it will use TomTom services along with Google and make a mix of the both to power up its maps and navigation system.
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TomTom’s shares were up 6.5 percent at 10.96 euros in Amsterdam.
