Microsoft To Acquire Vicinity To Enhance Location-Based Services In .Net Era

Vicinity, Sunnyvale, Calif., provides Web, wireless and speech-based, location-based services for customers including Kentucky Fried Chicken, Red Lobster, The Home Depot, Prudential and Airborne Express.

The deal is slated to be completed before the end of first-quarter 2003. At that time, the Vicinity enterprise location-based services will be integrated with Microsoft's own location-based service called MapPoint.Net, executives said.

Vicinity will be merged with the MapPoint Business Unit at Microsoft.