Audi, BMW, Mercedes to buy Nokia’s Mapping software

The German automakers beat out firms like Uber and fb.

July 21, 2015 

Nokia here, a mapping system that has emerged as a major rival to Google Maps, is reportedly just about being received. The Wall side road Journal reviews that Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz parent firm Daimler are planning to collectively buy Nokia here for $2.7 billion.

The deal is contingent on mental property issues, in step with Reuters: Nokia does now not wish to relinquish all the patents for its mapping expertise, specifically those associated to how self-riding automobiles use actual-time information to navigate.

The automakers expect to ask other massive auto corporations to invest in Nokia right here if all goes well, thus preempting the efforts of Google and Apple to make in-car navigation reliant on their respective mapping services and products. Nokia, which has invested heavily in this is expertise, is in the difficult place of having constructed one of the most world’s absolute best mapping structures while its core trade, telephones, slipped out of its take hold of.

Uber used to be neatly-placed to acquire Nokia here: The ride-hailing provider, together with firms like fb and Alibaba, had allegedly thrown its hat within the ring, however lost out to the German carmakers. as a substitute, Uber not too long ago bought mapping technology from Microsoft.

[by means of the Wall boulevard Journal]

sign up to learn extra about fast firm’s Innovation competition in November

[photo: by way of right here]

fast company , learn Full Story

(89)