> Industrial News > News   TomTom Wins EU Approval for Tele Atlas Acquisition   TomTom and Tele Atlas announced on May 14 that they have received unconditional clearance from the European Commission for the proposed acquisition by TomTom of Tele Atlas at 2.9 billion euros. This merger "would not significantly impede effective competition”, stated EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes. "The satnav market is important for consumers. After thorough investigation, I am now satisfied that the innovation and competition we have seen in satnavs until now will continue after this merger and that consumers will continue to benefit from new and innovative products." Comment: TomTom’s acquisition of Tele Atlas has been finally approved, so TomTom will continue to lead the European market. After giving up the acquisition of Tele Atlas and NavTeq, Garmin will not be impeded in a short period, but in the long term it will face fierce completions from both Nokia and TomTom. With the daily increase of navigation devices with communication functions, it will soon be realized to collect and analyze user feedback information and then use to improve map data and to provide more accurate traffic information and route planning. This will in return greatly improve customer satisfaction. Once users act as volunteer information collectors, the cost of map data collection will be reduced and the efficiency be improved. Such innovation will show great importance for the grievous European and U.S. PND market. Whether TomTom can realize the innovation and stand out as soon as possible is a key issue.   Time:2008-06-04 Source:NaviForum Shanghai News Center Relative