It's made a 239 million Swedish kronor cash move for the company, with Pieter Knook, Vodafone's director of internet services, saying the deal would enable Vodafone to give its customers Wayfinder technology on their handsets. He said: "We believe our customers will greatly value being able to get accurate voice directions from their mobiles."

Voda said Wayfinder's board had recommended that shareholders accept the offer. If it goes ahead, it will increase the heat around the location space in mobile. Famously, Nokia paid $8 billion for Navteq and is already rolling out services around its Maps proposition as well as working to integrate a location element into its other content services.

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