Nokia 2009 Annual Report Download - page 49

Technology, Research and Development
NAVTEQ’s global technology team focuses on developments and innovations in data gathering,
processing, delivery and deployment of its map database and related content. NAVTEQ employs an
integrated approach to its database, software support and operations environments and devotes
significant resources and expertise to the development of a customized data management software
system. NAVTEQ has also built workstation software to enable sophisticated database creation and
the performance of updating tasks in a wellcontrolled and efficient environment with the ability to
access the common database from any of its satellite offices and edit portions of the data
concurrently among several users. NAVTEQ’s proprietary software enables its field force to gather data
on a realtime basis on portable computers in field vehicles. Once the data has been gathered and
stored on portable computers, NAVTEQ’s field force performs further data processing at its field offices
before integrating the changes into the common database. NAVTEQ also incorporates community
feedback received from local governmental entities and consumer feedback received from NAVTEQ’s
Map Reporter and NAVTEQ’s business customers. NAVTEQ continues to work with its business
customers, including Nokia, in order to enable consumers to more easily submit feedback that can
further improve the data.
Patents and Licenses
NAVTEQ relies primarily on a combination of copyright laws, including, in Europe, database protection
laws, trade secrets and patents to establish and protect its intellectual property rights in its database,
software and related technology. NAVTEQ holds a total of 220 United States patents, which cover a
variety of technologies, including technologies relating to the collection and distribution of
geographical and other data, data organization and format, and database evaluation and analysis
tools. NAVTEQ also protects its database, software and related technology, in part, through the terms
of its license agreements and by confidentiality agreements with its employees, consultants,
customers and others.
Competition
The market for map and related locationbased information is highly competitive. NAVTEQ currently
has several major competitors, including Google, Tele Atlas, which was acquired by TomTom, and
numerous governmental and quasigovernmental mapping agencies that license map data for
commercial use, as well as many local competitors in geographic areas outside of North America and
Europe. Several global and local companies, as well as governmental and quasigovernmental
agencies, are making more map data with improving coverage and content, and high quality,
available free of charge or at lower prices. Aerial, satellite and other locationbased imagery is also
becoming increasingly available. Those developments may encourage new market entrants, cause
business customers to incorporate map data from sources other than NAVTEQ or reduce the demand
for feebased products and services which incorporate NAVTEQ’s map database.
Nokia Siemens Networks
Overview
This section describes the business of Nokia Siemens Networks, a company jointly owned by Nokia
and Siemens and consolidated by Nokia. Its operational headquarters are in Espoo, Finland, with a
strong regional presence in Munich, Germany and a services business unit based in New Delhi, India.
The Board of Directors of Nokia Siemens Networks is comprised of seven directors, four appointed by
Nokia and three by Siemens, and Nokia appoints the CEO.
Nokia Siemens Networks provides mobile and fixed network infrastructure, communications and
networks service platforms, as well as professional services and business solutions to operators and
service providers. Nokia Siemens Networks has a broad product and services portfolio designed to
address the converging mobile and fixed infrastructure markets and a global base of customers with
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