For the purchase of Nokia Here navigation business claims the world's largest technology company Apple, said Thursday news Bloomberg. Previously received information that the interest in this business also exhibit social network Facebook and service taxi Uber.
The first time that Nokia is considering selling its navigation business - Here - became known in early April. At the same time called the probability of buyers Uber and a group of German automakers. Last week, Nokia has officially announced on its website that the management is considering various options for the continued existence of the navigation business.However, companies still do not know exactly whether there will be any change in the long run.
Nokia Here - this is one of three remaining from Nokia after the sale of the businesses to produce smartphones Devices & Services from Microsoft for 5.4 billion euros last year. Here business was created out of the assets of the American navigation data provider Navteq, which Nokia acquired for $ 8.1 billion in 2008
Here not only the division collects and provides information on the roads, but also provides users with information about traffic jams on the roads around the world in real-time (118 countries). Main products Here - it's Here Maps and Here Drive. These applications are pre-assigned to all devices on the platform of Windows Phone. In addition, they are available for free for owners of smartphones and tablets with iOS and Android. Use Here Maps and Here Drive can be offline, ie without an internet connection.
In addition to Apple to buy the navigation of Nokia's business show interest in the largest social network Facebook, German car manufacturers BMW, Audi and the German carmaker Daimler, which owns the brands Mercedes-Benz and Maybach, Freightliner, Mitsubishi Fuso, Western Star and Thomas Built (trucks) and Setra (bus ).
In addition, the paper calls as possible buyers of American service taxi Uber and US investment fund Hellman & Friedman.
According to some estimates, the cost of units Nokia Here is about 2 billion euros. However, there are higher grades. According to the calculations of the Finnish research company Inderes, the value of this business can be in the range from 4.4 billion euros to 6.9 billion euros.