14 DAY TRIAL // Wayfinder announced that it has finalized the acquisition of the Finnish navigation company Navicore. As a result, the company will be in a position that will allow it to offer location applications and services on all major mobile platforms. The combined user base of the two companies exceeds one million users (Wayfinder has over 700 000 unique users) of which more than 200,000 users are paying customers.
"Joining forces with Wayfinder will greatly enhance the user experience and the service offering to all Navicore users. We see it as a natural and exciting step to combine these two leading entities into one", says Juha Murtopuro, CEO of Navicore.
The acquisition of Navicore will allow Wayfinder to further pursue its strategy to offer handset manufacturers and operators a complete navigation solution. This will help the Wayfinder group to strengthen its position on the market by offering location applications and services on all major platforms, such as Java, BlackBerry, Symbian, Linux and Windows Mobile.
"We are very pleased with this acquisition, and with the invaluable competence Navicore will bring to the company. The Navicore platform will be further developed and fully supported to the benefit of all Navicore users," said Magnus Nilsson, CEO of Wayfinder Systems AB.
Navicore is a provider of interactive navigation products for mobile devices running on different operating systems like Symbian and Linux. The Navicore Personal software together with a GPS turns the mobile device into a fully functional navigator. Navicore products are sold in Europe, the Middle East, South Africa and Australia.
Wayfinder offers maps, directions and GPS navigation services on mobile phones. In addition, the company provides mobile phone users with useful travel services that include digital city guidebooks, traffic information, currency conversion and weather reports. Wayfinder has as customers major handset manufacturers and operators such as Telenor, 3, Cingular, Vodafone, SFR, Pannon, Telefonica and Mobilkom Austria. Its products are sold to end users throughout Europe and North America.