Ovi Maps with Free Navigation Hits 1.4 Million Downloads

Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia announced about two weeks ago that it had made its Ovi Maps solution available for free for those using a Nokia smartphones, and now the company unveils the first stats on the new software solution. According to Nokia, the solution has been downloaded over 1.4 million times since January 21, with the one million mark being out paced during the first week of availability of Ovi Maps with free walk and drive navigation.

“We're averaging a download a second, 24 hours a day,” said Anssi Vanjoki, executive vice president, Nokia. “When we announced free walk & drive navigation we knew it would be a game-changer. The number of people now using their Nokia for navigation, and as a result looking for more location-aware software, is growing faster than even we predicted.”

According to Nokia, the success of the new solution is one of the key points in its attempt to become a leading company on the market in mobile maps, navigation and location-based services. Moreover, the company also notes that its investment in NAVTEQ offered it the possibility to eliminate costs related with navigation for drivers and pedestrians, and it can now offer new location features, content and services to a larger user base.

“This is great news for our 3rd party application developers. Within a matter of days there is an installed base of more than 1 million active users all potentially hungry for new and innovative location-aware apps,” continued Anssi Vanjoki. “For the operators too there is a growing opportunity to sell more data-plans and a complete navigation package to existing and new customers.”

Nokia also says that the top five countries when it comes to the downloads of the new Ovi Maps solution were China, Italy, UK, Germany and Spain, as of January 31. At the same time, it notes that the top handsets on which the new solution was being installed include Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia N97 mini, Nokia N97, Nokia 5230 and Nokia E72.

Starting with the next month, the handset vendor plans on including the new version of Ovi Maps on all Nokia GPS-enabled smartphones which will also feature pre-loaded local country map data, along with high-end walk and drive navigation and with access to Lonely Planet and Michelin travel guides. Ovi Maps includes car and pedestrian navigation for over 180 countries, along with traffic information for over 10 countries. The solution is available in 74 countries and in 46 languages.