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Nokia Buys Navteq for $8.1 Billion

mytrip writes to mention that Nokia has agreed to buy Navteq, Chicago-based maker of digital mapping and navigational software, for $8.1 billion. "Nokia's president and chief executive, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, said that location-based services were a cornerstone of Nokia's Internet services strategy, which is part of an overall plan to expand beyond the production of cellphones into user services like photos, video, music and games."

5 of 77 comments (clear)

  1. Internet tablets by cerberus4696 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This raises some interesting possibilities for where nokia's going with the next installment in their line of internet tablets (the Nokia 770/800/rumored successor to both). Navteq's software already runs on the platform, so it may be that nokia's thinking of integrating it more fully into their internet tablets (the next one is rumored to have built-in GPS).

  2. Re:Google Maps et al affected? by SpaceLifeForm · · Score: 4, Interesting

    No. But it may make a future acquisition by Google more attractive.

    --
    You are being MICROattacked, from various angles, in a SOFT manner.
  3. The press release, Tele Atlas and more by Lord+Satri · · Score: 4, Informative

    Here's the official press release. There's additional articles on Bloomberg and TradingMarkets.

    This news was predicted after TomTom bought Tele Atlas last July, NAVTEQ's main competitor.

  4. Re:Google Maps et al affected? by 2ms · · Score: 5, Informative

    Google acquiring Nokia? That's a laughable notion at best. Nokia is the largest wireless network hardware and phone company in the world. Some would say they're sitting on top of the biggest goldmine there is in tech or least consumer electronics. And they only seem to big extending the gap with their competitors more and more (look at Motorola's last quarter vs Nokia's). For Americans here who don't know, by the way, Nokia is far and away the largest builder of the networks wireless services are provided by -- phones are only the smaller part of their business, yet they are the largest phone maker in the world too.

  5. Re:Google Maps et al affected? by everphilski · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Highly doubtful. Check out Nokia's stock ticker ... just the value of Nokia's stock is 98% of Google's stock, not to mention Nokia holds a lot more **physical** assets than Google. Similar cash-at-hand, much more revenue per year. If Google would want to make a purchase of Nokia (Nokia being a healthy company), they would have to up the ante and offer the stockholders **more** than the company is worth. Sure, they can take out a loan, but they would essentially run the company dry. The interest on a few hundred billion dollars (Nokia's stock alone is worth 120B, Google's cash-at-hand is less than a tenth of that) a year would be billions of dollars a year. Google can't afford that. To put it another way, their revenue last year was 13B. The interest on a loan for Nokia would probably run a third to half that.