The deal, which has been in the pipeline since last May, will allow China Mobile customers to use Google search engine technology on China Mobile’s Monternet WAP portal. No details of advertising arrangements are yet available.
“From Google’s earlier experience in the global market, our next step in cooperating with telecom carriers usually focuses on making possible traditional internet search services on mobile phones,” said Lee Kai Fu, Google’s vice-president in China.
Google has been keen to explore new avenues and partnerships in China to compete more closely with Baidu, the most popular search engine in China. The company has inked similar deals with mobile phone operators in Europe, the US, Japan, Taiwan and India.
China Mobile has also been keen to expand the services it offers its users. In a statement, Wang Jianxhou, chairman of China Mobile said: “This is an important move for China Mobile’s transformation into a mobile information expert.”
The company launched a mobile music service with Newscorp last November.
China has 462 million mobile phone users, compared with 123 million online. The huge mobile audience, as well as the predicted issuing of Chinese 3G licences, makes mobile and internet partnerships an attractive opportunity for telecommunications companies. “I think mobile search may have the same importance as internet search in the future due to its unique mobility and the relatively low cost of facilities,” Lee said.
Baidu and Microsoft have also sealed deals with Chinese telecom companies.
Earlier this month, Xunlei, a Chinese video and game download service, announced a deal that will see Google provide search technologies for its site. The companies will also collaborate in future on marketing and product development.
