The EU's competition authorities are to take a closer look at a proposed joint venture between DaimlerChrysler and Deutsche Telekom to operate a toll collecting system for heavy lorries on German motorways.

The venture forms a development of DaimlerChrysler's existing telematics business. The joint venture, Toll Collect, will also be able to offer value-added telematics applications ranging from real-time information on traffic flows to navigation guidance and messaging between the truck company and drivers.

The competition investigation will take four months.

An EU spokesman says: “DaimlerChrysler is already active in the telematics market and through the present operation it could possibly control to a significant extent the conditions of competition in this emerging market.”