RIM Announces Partnership With TomTom for Traffic & Maps

RIM and TomTom made an announcement at CTIA today that they have signed a deal for mapping and traffic data. BlackBerrys will be using TomTom’s real time Traffic HD services in BlackBerry apps including BlackBerry Maps, BlackBerry Traffic, and the BlackBerry Locate Service for developers. My guess is that this will extend further into a mapping deal for BlackBerry 10 devices but they are staying mum on that for now. What I would really love to see is an offline mapping app on BlackBerry 10…

Check out the announcement below:

RIM selects TomTom HD Traffic

~HD Traffic provides real-time traffic information for BlackBerry apps~

CTIA WIRELESS 2012

NEW ORLEANS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–TomTom today announced that Research In Motion (RIM) is using TomTom’s award winning real-time traffic services for BlackBerry® applications. BlackBerry® Traffic is now powered by TomTom HD Traffic, giving customers access to the most accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date traffic information on the market. Additionally, TomTom maps and location content is used in BlackBerry® Maps, and for BlackBerry® Locate Services, which gives 3^rd party software developers access to the mapping and traffic information for their own apps.

“TomTom’s market-leading real-time traffic information will provide BlackBerry customers with the best mobile travel experience.”

“Through our strategic relationship with RIM, we are enabling the future of mobile travel with powerful location content and real-time information, including HD Traffic,” said Nuno Campos, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for TomTom Licensing. “TomTom’s market-leading real-time traffic information will provide BlackBerry customers with the best mobile travel experience.”

“We’re thrilled to work with TomTom to leverage their industry-leading traffic and travel content for BlackBerry Traffic and BlackBerry Maps, and to enable access to those capabilities for BlackBerry developers as well,” said Martyn Mallick, Vice President, Global Alliances and Business Development at Research In Motion.

According to a recent study, TomTom’s traffic information saves commuters 50 minutes of travel time per week or approximately 40 hours per year. With HD Traffic, BlackBerry customers will be able to select the best route to their destinations in an effort to not only save time but also fuel.