Apple is a potential buyer of Nokia’s HERE mapping business

According to a report in Bloomberg, Apple is among the potential buyers for Nokia’s HERE mapping business. The Cupertino giant is among the high-profile suitors approached by the Finnish company about interest.

Other potential buyers of HERE include Alibaba, Amazon, Facebook, Baidu, and a group of German carmakers among others. A number of private equity firms are also said to be interested.

Nokia has been working with a financial advisor on the sale of its mapping unit. The Finnish company is seeking more than €3 billion (about $3.2 billion), with the first bids due to arrive at the end of next week.

Nokia has been busy making headlines lately. The company acquired Alcatel-Lucent for €15.6 billion. It is also rumored to return to making phones next year.

An acquisition of HERE would make a great deal of sense for Apple, as it will give its own Maps service a welcome boost. Since its launch in 2012, the Cupertino giant’s mapping service has failed to catch up to Google Maps.

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Facebook and Uber interested in buying Nokia HERE Maps, report says

Bidding over Nokia’s HERE Maps is apparently heating up, and now it turns out Facebook may be in the running as well. A new report from Manager Magazin in Germany claims the social network is interested acquiring in the mapping service, though it’s facing some steep competition.

According to earlier reports, Uber may also make an offer, and a group of German companies including BMW, Audi and Daimler are in the running as well. Manager Magazin notes that the trio of carmakers have already submitted an offer to Nokia, though they may not be willing to spend more than HERE’s current value of €2.1 billion.

Nokia recently confirmed interest in selling HERE following the news that it will buy Alcatel-Lucent for $16.6 billion. The mapping service will be a useful tool for any buyer looking to distance itself from Google Maps and other third-party alternatives.

That doesn’t mean a deal will necessarily happen. Nokia doesn’t seem particularly desperate to sell, though it may come around if someone makes an irresistible offer.