Mar/April 2009

French telematics company Masternaut has been acquired by Hub télécom, a specialist telecom division of Aéroports de Paris. Masternaut Three X, which distributes Masternaut solutions in the UK, is a separate independent company, and so is not directly affected by the deal.

The French company was acquired five years ago by Sanef, a leading European player in toll road technology and infrastructure. The new owners say they will maintain a strong relationship with Sanef. Masternaut is currently said to be engaged in a large number of major government-backed initiatives for road tolling projects in the UK and across Europe.

Masternaut Three X is a 30 per cent shareholder within Sanef's road toll business in the UK.

According to Jean Verdier, president and chief executive of Hub télécom: 'The acquisition of Masternaut marks a major step in our development strategy.'

Masternaut is Europe's leading telematics and vehicle tracking solutions provider, according to a Berg Insight market report for 2008. The company is represented in 14 countries, and says it has sold over 100,000 telematics units across Europe – more than half of them in the UK.