Dutch navigation specialist TomTom has signed a deal to help Huawei with its maps, traffic information and navigation software, De Telegraaf reported. Huawei will use the information to develop its own apps, as an alternative to Google Maps. TomTom confirmed the agreement to De Telegraaf but declined to give any financial or other details, speaking only of a “multi-year agreement.”
The Chinese company cannot use Google’s systems or Android OS as a result of the trade ban imposed by the US government. With the trade ban, Huawei has been dependent on the open source version of Android, without Google services. This Android version lacks access to the Google Play Store as well as other important Google services such as Google Maps. TomTom’s "Location services from TomTom" service will now become an alternative.
