Multimap: Big on EU
public transportation

Microsoft has acquired London-based Multimap for an estimated 25 million GBP, according to ZD Net UK.

Multimap was used extensively between 2000 and 2005 to map out trips in the UK and Europe, but has since seen competition from Google Maps.

Microsoft plans to use Multimap to compete with Google's search services and collect more online and mobile advertising, reports the International Herald Tribune.

The map industry saw extensive consolidation in recent months as players rushed to bring map and search technology to handsets, with location-based mobile advertising the ultimate goal.

Nokia recently paid $8.1 billion for automotive nav system Navteq, and TomTom and Garmin engaged in a bidding war for Tele Atlas, with TomTom eventually paying $4.3 billion for the digital mapmaker.