No Google Maps, no problem
- by Nick Cohen
- in Industry
- — Jan 21, 2020
TomTom is offering maps, traffic information and navigation software for HUAWEI to be able to build its own apps for smartphones.
Dutch navigation and digital mapping company TomTom on Friday said it has closed a deal with China's Huawei Technologies for the use of its maps and services in smartphone apps.
With the United States ban on Chinese tech giant Huawei still in force, the smartphone maker has had to come up with novel ways of replacing any technology - either hardware or software - that it previously sourced from USA companies. The US claims Huawei acts as a conduit for Chinese government espionage, an allegation the company denies.
Huawei is working on alternatives to Google Mobile Services.
The blacklisting means American companies have to seek government permission before dealing with Huawei.
While we don't know when the TomTom maps will first appear on any Huawei phone, the timing of the public statement suggests we may just see something soon. In parallel to announcing a partnership with TomTom last week, Huawei launched a campaign in London to encourage developers to work on apps for Huawei Mobile Services (HMS), with a lucrative £20 million ($26 million) reward for successful creators.
The Dutch company's software primarily targets vehicle drivers: only in the past month, TomTom has closed deals to provide services to Subaru, Alfa Romeo and Hitachi. It also has Huawei Quick Apps which is its alternative to Google's Instant Apps.
Reuters reports that a TomTom spokesperson indicated the agreement finalized "some time ago", but no other details were provided on its terms.
The upcoming Huawei P40 series should have the new mapping service pre-installed.
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