Google wins back Opera

Just one year after tapping Yahoo Inc. to provide search for its mobile browsers, Opera Software is going back to Google Inc.
The Norwegian developer said the Internet’s dominant player will be the default search engine for Opera Mobile and Opera Mini in every market around the world except a dozen former Soviet territories. Google has powered search for Opera’s desktop browser for seven years and was the default engine for its mobile browsers until last year, when Yahoo was chosen to replace it.
Yahoo was quick to respond to Opera’s announcement, issuing a statement that it “has elected not to continue its mobile search partnership with Opera at this time.” The company declined to offer reasons for the decision to sever the relationship, but said it plans to continue to work with the browser developer.
The move marks a significant win for Google, however, which suffered a blow earlier this month when T-Mobile International dumped its service in favor of Yahoo’s for its web’n’walk offering.
But the news may underscore a significant difference in strategies between the two Internet companies. Google has appeared eager to partner with direct-to-consumer players such as Opera and Nokia Corp., a recent partnership with NTT DoCoMo Inc. notwithstanding, while Yahoo has worked to create alliances with network operators and their partners, such as Novarra.
“With 2008 poised to be the year the mobile Web goes mainstream, Google and Opera are extending this collaboration to give our users immediate access to the quality and convenience of Google’s search results,” Opera CEO Jon von Tetzchner said. “We’re excited to extend this productive relationship and we hope that the nearly 100 million people using our mobile products agree.”