Microsoft Partner HERE Acquires ATS for Improved over-the-Air Capabilities

Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps) has been sharing data with Microsoft for years, despite its app being pulled from Windows 10 Mobile. Its next advancement is the acquisition of ATS, a Berlin-based company specializing in secure over-the-air technology.

OTA lets devices like cars and smartphones receive updates wirelessly and securely, but it also helps deliver feedback. According to a HERE spokesperson, its OTA capabilities have been limited for some time.

“The ATS acquisition will make us a major player in this area,” he said to TechCrunch.

“This is an exciting opportunity for ATS as we will be able to combine HERE's deep customer relationships with OEMs and our global client and partner network to deliver new commercial solutions and enhance the existing functionality of HERE products and services,” added HERE CEO Eric Schmidt. “We now look forward to joining a business with an inspirational vision to shape the autonomous world.”

Uptane Framework

The deal is expected to close in early 2018, but HERE has not disclosed financial details. The firm was previously owned by Nokia, but is now owned by a consortium for BMW, Audi, Daimlet and Intel.

That fact is significant because of the acquisitions' help in cars. ATS recently integrated its solution with Uptane, a framework for autonomous car security supported by Homeland Security.

“More than 100 million cars on the road today carry map data provided by HERE. That makes us the world's number one provider of location data in the automotive industry,” said Schmidt. “As our business grows, more and more of our solutions are being delivered to customers wirelessly. We take the security of the updates and information very seriously, and we know that powerful OTA solutions will be vital to providing first-class service.”