Rumor: Uber offers $3 billion for Nokia’s map service Here

Uber has made an offer of 3 billion dollars, 2.7 billion euros, for Nokia’s map service Here. The New York Times reports this based on sources close to the takeover talks. A consortium of German automakers would also prepare a bid.

The New York Times says it bases its reporting on three people who are said to be familiar with the takeover talks. Two of them report that a consortium of German automakers has also plunged into the takeover battle. BMW, Audi and Mercedes Benz would like to make a joint offer with the Chinese internet giant Baidu. There would also be a private equity firm in the race. It is not clear how much those parties want to put on the table for Lord.

Uber needs map data to help people get a ride as quickly as possible when they request one in the app. At the moment, the company still uses map services from other companies, such as Google, which is a major competitor of Here with its map service. According to The New York Times, Uber has attracted a number of map software developers in recent months. In March, it also acquired the company deCarta, which develops navigation software. The automakers are likely interested in Here because they need map data for autonomous vehicles in the future. They do not want to become too dependent on Google.

Earlier there were rumors that Nokia was planning to sell Here, and that the company would have written to Uber for this, among other things. Here is a major supplier of maps and location data. The Here division is best known among consumers for its map app Here Maps, which has been available on almost all smartphone platforms since this year. Nokia recently acquired Alcatel-Lucent, a French-American group that supplies network equipment. The company will pay 15.6 billion euros for this. The takeover creates a company that is mainly focused on network technology; Nokia sold the once successful phone business to Microsoft in 2013.

Nokia said it was looking at “strategic options” for the division at the time of the acquisition, but declined to say whether a sale was imminent. Although takeover talks are now underway, according to The New York Times, a possible deal could not be forthcoming. The newspaper reports that Nokia is expected to announce that it has sold the division before the end of the month. Nokia and the parties that may be involved in the takeover battle did not want to respond to the message.