Google Inc. Looking to Acquire Waze Inc.

There is talk that Facebook might have company in its quest to purchase the real-time mapping app

By:Spencer Emmerson, Junior Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of Aad Mahava

Two titans of the web could be arming themselves for a bidding war over Waze Inc., a mobile satellite navigation company.

Sources tell Bloomberg news that Google Inc. is considering buying the Israeli-based start-up, joining a list of suitors that already includes Facebook Inc. [pullquote]Bloomberg reports that Waze is seeking offers north of US$1-billion. [/pullquote]

Consumers appear to be switching away from desktop and laptop computers, spending more time on their smartphones instead.  Talks of a potential acquisition of a GPS system and the possible bidding war between Google and Facebook show how major tech companies are increasingly interested in owning mapping services.

Waze’s system uses signals from the smartphones of its 47 million users to generate live map data and traffic updates. Talks are still on-going, with Waze possibly leaving discussions to expand its mapping program with help from current investors.

Spencer Emmerson is a freelance writer based in Toronto, Ontario. In October of 2012, he obtained his Honours degree in English from the University of Guelph. To learn more, please view his Twitter account @TheSpinner24.