NAVTEQ expands global business arrangement With Microsoft

Staff Writers
Wednesday, 28 January 2009 14:30

IT Industry - Deals

Digital maps provider NAVTEQ has expanded an existing agreement with Microsoft, giving the software juggernaut access to all 74 countries in the NAVTEQ map database.

The multi-year agreement also allows Microsoft the rights to utilise NAVTEQ content including Extended Listings, NAVTEQ Transport, NAVTEQ Discover Cities and NAVTEQ Voice.  Microsoft will use NAVTEQ data in its Internet and mapping software solutions.

NAVTEQ and Microsoft formed a relationship ten years ago when Microsoft selected NAVTEQ to supply map data of the United States and Canada for its product applications. The relationship expanded in the years that followed to include NAVTEQ map data for Western Europe, Asia and Mexico. The new agreement enables Microsoft to provide global solutions for its international consumer base.

“This global agreement with NAVTEQ helps us continue to provide users with the most powerful and expansive experience possible,” said Stephen Lawler, general manager of Virtual Earth at Microsoft.

Microsoft’s new licensing agreement extends beyond map coverage to include advanced NAVTEQ content, including the following products:

·         Extended Listings includes hundreds of thousands of business listings for category customisation and enhanced destination selection;

·         NAVTEQ Discover Cities provides the street, pedestrian and public transit network information necessary for pedestrian and multi-modal navigation;

·         NAVTEQ Transport  includes a growing number of attributes that target specific needs of the transport industry to enable truck navigation, as well as routing and dispatch optimization;

·         NAVTEQ Voice translates names and named places into phonetic language that enables applications to generate spoken words for guidance.

“NAVTEQ maps have been the foundation of Microsoft’s cutting-edge routing solutions for years,” said Jeff Mize, executive vice president, sales, NAVTEQ.

“We are excited that this new agreement enables us to provide both worldwide coverage as well as innovative new content, and we look forward to Microsoft bringing these products to market.”