Nokia has announced that it has sold its mapping business HERE to German car consortium comprising of Audi, BMW and Daimler for 2.8 billion Euro ($3 billion). The Finnish company was looking to sell HERE to focus on the integration of Alcatel-Lucent, which it acquired for $16.6 billion earlier this year.
HERE's high-definition real-time digital mapping technology gives the aforementioned car makers the ability to further their research on self-driving cars, and integrate connected services into their next-generation vehicles. The deal is estimated to close in the first half of 2016, with Nokia netting 2.5 billion Euro ($2.74 billion) from the proceeds.
Following the announcement, the HERE team mentioned that the sale will not affect HERE's mobile apps, available for Android, iOS and Windows Phone, stating that the presence of mobile navigation services allows car manufacturers to "extend their product and service offerings beyond the car."
With the sale of HERE, Nokia will function as two business entities: Nokia Networks, which provides network and telecom infrastructure; and Nokia Technologies, which will continue to develop technology products such as the recently announced virtual reality camera OZO.
Source: Nokia
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Reader comments
Nokia sells HERE to German carmakers for $3 billion
At least well have actually an alternative usable navigation system for those without a smartphone compatible with Android Auto.
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Here maps is a life saver for me with it's downloadable offline maps when I'm stuck in an area with no coverage. I'm happy to hear that the mobile apps will not be affected.
Posted via the Android Central App
Not affected? We're talking about carmakers here...
Exactly. Just like, im sure, they told the HERE team no one would be made redundant and there would not be any restructuring. I dont think these high end auto manufacturers grant continuous and updated access to us peasants for free, or any access if you dont own one of their cars for that matter.
They aren't just high-end. The whole conglomerate purchased HERE, not just the most expensive brand of the group. Furthermore HERE isn't being integrated into one of the companies so there will be no redundancies as HERE will continue being 100% independent, just a new board of directors and owners.
I hope that they can utilize their database to improve the nav system in their cars.
I love the UI for BMW's iDrive. But I think the map on Audi's MMI, BMW iDrive and Mercedes COMAND could use some polish (Poland reference not intended)
Posted from the LG G4 "Spigen + Anime" Edition. Wait, what?
BMW wants like 200 EUR every year for their map updates. And they are lousy.
I highly doubt a BMW owner will be bothered too much about 200$ yearly map updates.
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Not every BMW owner buys brand new.
I hope Here is going to be available for Android free of charge. Here is an excellent navigation app.
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It is available for free from Google play.
You mean continue to be free?
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This message brought to you via the sarcasm keyboard available for download at the Google Play Store.
LG-G2 on Lollipop.
Google's policy doesn't allow apps that are free to start charging at a later date. They'd have to sunset the current app and release a new paid one to charge.
When is Nokia going to make phones again?
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2016. Next year ;)
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Hope the auto manufacturers "fix" routing and map accuracy. I've been using HERE since the Nokia/Symbian days and routing is whack. They especially need to fix a lot if their future plans including using HERE maps for driverless cars. Yikes.
I love HERE. However, a lot of suburban and rural streets next to big US cities are quite outdated. My area has a "new" stretch of interstate that does not show up on HERE app in Android. The interstate was completely more than 5 years ago.(open for traffic)
HERE is great because it needs no data connection. I just wish it's possible to use voice to navigate, like Google Maps/Navigation. For example, on Google Maps, I can just say "take me to the nearest McDonald's" and it will start navigation to the nearest McDonald's. This is not yet possible with HERE navigation app.
Boy, did they get ripped off.... HERE supplies SD card updates to Ford and I bought one that was obsolete when it arrived. Had me driving off road in lots of places that I drive, on roads that were completed a couple years prior.. No thanks..