Telecommunication giants, Huawei have reached an agreement with Mapping firm, TomTom to use their maps on smartphones. Thus, replacing Google maps after months of uncertainties surrounding their relationship due to the current US-China trade war.
Huawei’s new phones/software will allegedly feature Tom Tom’s maps instead of Google maps. Speculations surrounding its upcoming P40 series, seem to conclude that the device might be using the TomTom Maps.
Huawei is currently unable to use Google Maps which is a part of Google Play because of the uncertainties around the China-US trade war.
The Chinese company has also developed its own operating system named Harmony OS as a way out of its trade restrictions.
The operating system is its alternative to the Android OS its devices previously used. The manufacturer has also been building its own app gallery. With developers on board to make more applications available through its own channels, reducing its reliance on Google. 55,000 developers had earlier signed up for Harmony OS.
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TomTom has specialized in navigation services and devices for more than two decades. Recently, TomTom has been shifting its focus away from hardware, into licensing software and selling services. It also isn’t affected by the US Entity List ban on Huawei.
Neither company has formally announced the deal and there is still uncertainty regarding how the US government will receive the news.
TomTom previously replaced Google Maps on Apple’s iOS 6
TomTom also offers business-to-business applications such as meter reading and bar-code reading. It focuses on creating location-based products that aid customers in navigation. Consumer activities focus on the drive and sports categories. Its products include PNDs, GPS sports watches and smartphone navigation applications.
TomTom had previously provided mapping data solutions to the iPhone on iOS 6 replacing Google Maps.
It is likely that Huawei will announce the agreement at its P40’s launch around March 2020.
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