Garmin Doesn't Want To Be Left Without Maps... Bids On Tele Atlas

from the musical-mapping-chairs dept

Over the summer, navigation device maker TomTom announced plans to buy Tele Atlas, one of the two leading providers of mapping data. Earlier this month, Nokia announced plans to buy Navteq, the other major provider. That resulted in immediate speculation about how Garmin (TomTom's main competitor) would respond. Apparently, the answer is with lots and lots of money. Garmin has now put in an unsolicited bid of $3.3 billion for Tele Atlas, hoping to outbid its rival by 15%. So, at this point, a game of musical chairs begins, with Nokia, Garmin and TomTom fighting it out over the two mapping data providers. Since both TomTom and Garmin seem to feel that they need to have Tele Atlas, don't be surprised to see the price keep going up.
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Filed Under: gps, mapping data, navigation data
Companies: garmin, navteq, nokia, teleatlas, tomtom


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  1. identicon
    Max Hutchinson, 31 Oct 2007 @ 8:56pm

    Tom Tom and Garmim need to buy Tele Atlas together. then cost is cheaper for both user and maker.then both company's use saved money to improve there product.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 31 Oct 2007 @ 9:42pm

    Re:

    How naive. The value of an improved product is nothing compared to the value of having exclusive access to data your competitors dont so you can put them in a chokehold!

    Pardon me for being the cynic today. It is possible for businessmen to be noble. I just wont speculate as to the likelihood.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Keith, 31 Oct 2007 @ 9:46pm

    I find this odd, only because Garmin currently uses Navteq for most of their gps's. TomTom uses Tele Atlas. Seems a bit odd to me, but maybe Tele Atlas has something in the works that we don't know about.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. icon
    Mike (profile), 31 Oct 2007 @ 10:14pm

    Re:

    I find this odd, only because Garmin currently uses Navteq for most of their gps's. TomTom uses Tele Atlas. Seems a bit odd to me, but maybe Tele Atlas has something in the works that we don't know about.

    I think it's more caused by a fear that once Nokia takes Navteq, Garmin may not have *any* one who can provide maps...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Derek, 31 Oct 2007 @ 11:30pm

    then why not just put in to buy Navteq? I don't see why they are going after Tele Atlas unless they have something everyone wants...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    ..., 1 Nov 2007 @ 12:01am

    Re:

    Perhaps Nokia is just to big a competitor to bid against. It seems like Garmin and Tom Tom might be closer to financial equals than Nokia and Garmin.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Neverhood, 1 Nov 2007 @ 12:04am

    getting hot

    Let me see... where did i put those Tele Atlas stocks?... :)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. icon
    Mike (profile), 1 Nov 2007 @ 1:43am

    Re:

    then why not just put in to buy Navteq? I don't see why they are going after Tele Atlas unless they have something everyone wants...

    Because Navteq is more than double the price...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    Tom, 1 Nov 2007 @ 4:46am

    Garmin bids for Tele Atlas, tops TomTom proposal by 15%
    (4:37 AM ET) TEL AVIV (MarketWatch) -- Garmin Ltd., (GRMN) the Cayman Islands producer of navigation and communications equipment driven by global-positioning technology, proposed to buy Tele Atlas NV for 24.5 euros ($35.31) a share, or 2.3 billion euros ($3.31 billion). Separately, Garmin reported third-quarter earnings rose 57%, and it named Cliff Pemble president and chief operating officer. Tele Atlas (TLATF) is the Gent, Belgium, producer of navigation and mapping technology.

    Garmin said the deal is subject to conditions including antitrust clearances and receipt of at least two-thirds of Tele Atlas's share capital. Garmin said it has financing in place for the proposal. The offer price is a 2% premium to Tele Atlas's closing price of 24.01 euros in Amsterdam trading on Tuesday. It is 15% higher than TomTom's (TMOAF) proposal of 21.25 euros a share. And Garmin said it is 48% above Tele Atlas's stock price on July 20, before the deal proposals started. TomTom is the Amsterdam navigation-solutions provider. (Updates to add headquarters and description for TomTom.)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    comboman, 1 Nov 2007 @ 5:19am

    Only two providers?

    Are there really only two providers of map data? Where does Google and MSN get their map data?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. icon
    Jim (profile), 1 Nov 2007 @ 5:24am

    Re: Only two providers?

    Teleatlas --> Google
    Navteq --> MSN

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 1 Nov 2007 @ 5:49am

    i got a map of hidden treasure I'll sell Garmin for $1.3 million

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 1 Nov 2007 @ 5:50am

    Re: Re: Only two providers?

    Actually it's:

    Google --> Navteq
    MSN --> either or both

    link to this | view in thread ]

  14. identicon
    Michael Armstrong, 1 Nov 2007 @ 6:25am

    That's Unfortunate

    I've always liked the fact that Google Maps and Garmin both use Navteq. Plus I prefer the Navteq stuff over Tele Atlas for some reason.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  15. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 1 Nov 2007 @ 7:04am

    maps.google.com --> Navteq
    Google maps API --> Tele Atlas

    FYI:
    Yahoo --> Both
    Mapquest --> Navteq or AND

    "Geocoding data for map content in Google Maps is provided under license by Navteq North America LLC ("NAVTEQ") and/or Tele Atlas North America, Inc. ("TANA") and/or other third parties"

    link to this | view in thread ]

  16. identicon
    another mike, 1 Nov 2007 @ 1:32pm

    magellan?

    What is Magellan up to while this is going on?

    link to this | view in thread ]


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