European Union regulators are extending an anti-trust investigation into Nokia's proposed €4.12 billion (US$8.1 billion) acquisition of US-based, digital mapmaker Navteq, according to an Associated Press report.
It quoted the European Commission saying that an initial investigation had found that the combined companies could pose serious concerns about competition in the market for navigable digital maps.
Chicago-based Navteq is one of only two major producers of digital maps. It produces maps and software found in automobile navigation systems, portable navigation devices made by Garmin and other companies and Internet map sites like AOL's Mapquest, Google Maps and Yahoo Maps, the report said.
The Commission said the deal might impede competition in the 27-nation EU bloc because there are only two big producers of navigable digital maps and Nokia's strong position in the market for mobile handsets, the report added.
EU officials set an August 8 deadline by which to approve or reject the Nokia-Navteq deal, the report said.