Nokia inks deal with Oracle for mapping services

FINNISH PHONE FIRM Nokia has announced a deal today to give Oracle access to Nokia's mapping services.

The mapping deal with an enterprise IT firm such as Oracle appears to be an attempt to boost Nokia's presence in the enterprise market, similar to its recent mapping deals with motoring company Ford and online retailer Amazon.

Last month, Nokia, along with mobile technology rivals Samsung and Sony Mobile announced that they had joined forces to create the In-Location Alliance, which aims to deliver advanced indoor mapping services.

The services will operate over WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0, and Nokia explains that such services will include advanced indoor mapping, the ability to receive directions to the right products and personalized product promotions in nearby shops and support for finding the precise location of assets and people

Meanwhile, Apple apologised last Friday for the unforgivable errors in its new mapping service that it released last month, which replaced Google Maps in the latest version of its mobile operating system, IOS 6.

Update
Nokia confirmed the agreement today, which has seen Oracle develop a simple, built-in link between Oracle Fusion Middleware Mapviewer and the Nokia Location Platform (NLP).

Announced at the Oracleworld conference in San Francicso, Nokia said the link removes the barrier of a customised map integration and extending global maps for business use to Oracle users.

Nokia's VP for Enterprise Americas Roy Kolstad said, "NLP is an advanced location platform with a unique global footprint based on industry-leading technology and more than 30 years expertise in mapping.

"It will help businesses save time, money and resources while allowing them to gain a geographic perspective on their business, enabling better decisions." µ