Nokia's ‘Here’ to power Facebook maps –and more

 

Nokia may no longer be making mobile phones, but it is not quite out of the picture among the tech and mobile crowds.

 

A report on TechCrunch said Facebook and Nokia have forged a deal for Nokia's "Here" to provide maps on Facebook's Mobile, Instagram and Messenger apps.

 

While neither company announced the mapping partnership, TechCrunch said both sides confirmed the basic details to it.

 

“We are testing Nokia HERE maps across Facebook to give us more control and flexibility in delivering a consistent maps experience... I can confirm that we’re testing HERE maps in Android versions of some of our standalone apps like Instagram and Messenger as well,” a Facebook spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch by email.

 

“We’re excited that our maps can be enjoyed by Facebook users,” a Here spokesperson said.

 

Citing reliable sources, TechCrunch said Facebook is also using Here's geocoding, which can give "significant" specific place data to both Facebook and users when tagging locations in Instagram, Messenger or in the main Facebook app.

 

Prospective buyers

 

But that's not all - TechCrunch cited sources that said prospective buyers of Nokia's Here could include Apple, a car consortium, Samsung, Uber, Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent and Yahoo.

 

Earlier, Nokia said it is considering a sale of Here, which could fetch about $2 billion or even higher.

 

Not first Facebook-Nokia collaboration

 

It was not the first time Facebook and Nokia have collaborated, the report said.

 

"Facebook is one of several social companies that feeds data into the Here maps. And years ago, well before Nokia sold its handset division to Microsoft and was still the world’s biggest handset maker, the two talked about collaborating on devices," it said.

 

Both companies also worked on ways to connect people in developing countries via Facebook-backed Internet.org. — Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News