Tele Atlas and TomTom Announce Three-Year Extension
Tele Atlas and TomTom Announce Three-Year Extension to Global Agreement
Worldwide leaders in personal navigation (PNAV) extend technology and distribution partnership covering most popular TomTom platforms
June 7, 2005, Gent, Belgium and Amsterdam, Netherlands -- Tele Atlas N.V., a leading global provider of digital map data and other geographic content, and TomTom, a leading navigation solution provider, jointly announced that the companies have extended their technology and distribution agreement through the end of 2007. Under the agreement, Tele Atlas will remain the key provider of digital maps and other content such as Points of Interest (POIs) to TomTom for its use in the TomTom GO, TomTom Navigator and TomTom Mobile platforms throughout Western Europe and North America.
The agreement is an extension of a master agreement in place between the companies since 1997. Under the terms of the agreement, which is worldwide in scope, TomTom will continue to use Tele Atlas maps in its most popular product lines for those navigating in the automobile and on foot.
“TomTom and Tele Atlas have been close partners since the mid-1990’s, when the entire personal navigation category was highly speculative and in its formative stages,” said Alain De Taeye, Tele Atlas founder and CEO. “The TomTom team has taken an innovative vision and turned it into a successful business reality on a worldwide basis. We are extremely pleased that they have chosen to continue with Tele Atlas as their technology supplier and business partner as they expand their product lines and market presence around the world.”
“In order to become successful in a new market, one needs much more than great technology,” commented Harold Goddijn, TomTom chief executive officer. "We have worked closely with Tele Atlas over the years as our digital map and geographic content partner, and we continue to work with them in distribution channel development and in building strong business relationships in all our major markets. That spirit of partnership gives us the confidence to extend our agreement for the next several years.”
About Tele Atlas
Founded in 1984, Tele Atlas is a worldwide leading provider of digital maps and dynamic location content for a variety of navigation, location-based services and geospatial products and database solutions. Tele Atlas’ database is a highly accurate reproduction of today’s street network, enabling turn-by-turn route guidance on a high percentage of European, U.S. and Canadian roads. Tele Atlas’ compatibility with major navigation systems and its open system design have placed the company’s technology at the heart of both consumer and business-to-business applications worldwide. From logistics to marketing to traffic and fleet management, in almost every sector of today’s business and consumer world, Tele Atlas has built a reputation as an acknowledged pioneer and leader in the digital map industry. For more information, please visit www.teleatlas.com.