Google, China Mobile ink mobile search deal

Google Inc. and China Mobile finally unveiled a pact to deliver mobile search services.
China’s largest carrier said its Monternet WAP portal will use Google technology to allow users to search for mobile content and other Internet-based offerings. The service will use a search box on China Mobile’s homepage or will work via a dedicated search page; a broad launch is expected “in the early part of 2007.”
The announcement follows months of speculation regarding a partnership between the two giants and marks a major win for Google, which is working to expand its vast Internet empire into wireless. Google serves as the landing page for “Web ‘n’ Walk,” a mobile Internet service for T-Mobile customers in Europe, and Motorola Inc. has agreed to build phones with a Google-branded “hard key” that will launch a wireless Web browsing session.
“Mobile search will help users access the information they need more easily and quickly,” said China Mobile Chairman Wang Jianzhou. “Our cooperation will not only satisfy our users’ diverse communication needs but also build a new mobile world for Chinese users to communicate freely and live comfortably.”