Microsoft Buys UK Mapping Service

Microsoft has bought online mapping company Multimap to expand its web business. Multimap, which was established in l996, is among the UK's top 10 visited websites, receiving more than 10 million users each month. Microsoft hopes that the acquisition "will play a significant role in the future growth of our search business". Web search giant Google, Microsoft's arch-rival, provides its own online mapping service, Google Maps. Microsoft's internet empire also includes services such as Virtual Earth, Live Search and Windows Live.