Tele Atlas selected by Vodafone for LBS apps worldwide

Map maker Tele Atlas and wireless operator Vodafone Group have signed an agreement whereby Vodafone will use Tele Atlas digital maps and location-based content across its global footprint for the company’s location-based services (LBS) and navigation offerings.
The agreement gives Vodafone access to Tele Atlas’ global digital map content and products, including 24 million points of interest (POIs), 3D Landmarks, 2D City Maps, Digital Elevation Models and Speed Profiles.

At the end of last year Vodafone acquired Swedish LBS provider Wayfinder which was predominantly using Tele Atlas maps (in Western Europe and North America). Nevertheless we can imagine this contract had been a major battleground between Tele Atlas and NAVTEQ in the past months. Vodafone currently has 302.6 million proportionate mobile customers across the globe.

Not coincidentally, this announcement is made just two days before Tele Atlas’ parent company TomTom is announcing its financial results for the second quarter 2009. With the deceleration of the PND market and the difficulty of the automotive business, wireless is now representing the biggest growth opportunity for map makers. However, it will take months before this agreement with Vodafone generates substantial revenue for Tele Atlas. Vodafone’s LBS deployment is still in its infancy and in many markets the wireless operator is still using Telmap software and NAVTEQ map data to power its navigation offering.