Nokia’s Navteq Acquisition To Get More EU Scrutiny: Report

Not so fast! In Brussels, the European Commission will launch a deeper investigation in to possible antitrust concerns posed by Nokia’s (NYSE: NOK) takeover of sat-nav mapmaker Navteq, MarketWatch reports. Nokia notified the commission on February 19 after the pair announced the $8.1 billion buy-up in October. Europe was due to decide whether to approve or look further at the deal by March 28. If the report, which cites three unnamed sources, is correct, it would suggest the continent has relatively immediate concerns about consolidation in the market. Sat-nav manufacturer TomTom is already buying its map supplier TeleAtlas. It’s not as if the map-makers are buying each other, however – despite changing hands, they will remain competitive against one another. From Nokia’s submission: “The acquisition of Navteq is part of Nokia’s internet services strategy.”