Facebook is adopting Nokia’s HERE mapping service

Creating a mapping service is very tedious and there are numerous problems that can and most certainly will arise, but it’s still an incredibly valuable service to have, so what are companies supposed to do? Not everyone can be like Google, even Apple had a hard time creating its own mapping service. Well that’s why Nokia’s HERE mapping division has been making the company so much money, as Nokia essentially rents out the service to companies that don’t want to create their own, such as Facebook. 

One of the companies in the frame as a potential buyer of Nokia’s Here mapping division has quietly inked a deal with the Finnish company to power mobile maps. Facebook is now using Here maps for its mobile web version, and it is also running a test for Here to power location in native apps like Instagram and Messenger. The news comes as mobile company Nokia has confirmed that it is considering a sale of Here, which has an estimated value of $2 billion but some think it could go as high as double that because of the company’s current data set. Besides Facebook, sources tell us that other possible buyers for Nokia Here include Apple, a car consortium, Samsung, Uber, Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent and (wait for it) Yahoo. (Yes, some of these may be more likely than others.) The news of the new Facebook/Nokia mapping partnership was not announced by either company, but contacted for comment, both confirmed the basic details to us: “We are testing Nokia HERE maps across Facebook to give us more control and flexibility in delivering a consistent maps experience,” a Facebook spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch by email. “I can confirm that we’re testing HERE maps in Android versions of some of our standalone apps like Instagram and Messenger as well.” “We’re excited that our maps can be enjoyed by Facebook users,” a Here spokesperson said.