TRAFFIC information network operator Trafficmaster has announced that it is in merger talks with stolen vehicle tracking system company Tracker Network. In a statement Trafficmaster said: 'The boards of Trafficmaster and Tracker Network confirm that discussions are currently taking place regarding a possible merger of the two companies. These discussions are at an early stage and a further announcement will be made later this month.'

The news came as Trafficmaster announced that it expects a profit for 1997 after more than halving its losses in the first six months of the year. After securing sales contracts worth around £30 million since April to Vauxhall, a leading cellular telephone operator whose name has yet to be revealed and Mannesmann Autocom, which has been licensed to use Trafficmaster technology in Germany, pre-tax losses have been slashed from £1.42 million in the first half of 1996 to £594,000 for the six months to June 30, 1997.

During the same period sales revenues more than doubled from £1.34 million to £2.88 million. In the first six months of the year more than 68,000 Trafficmaster systems have been sold compared to 40,000 units in the second half of 1996 and 56,000 units for the whole of last year.