Yahoo could work with Google on mobile programs

Yahoo Inc., after failing to dent Google Inc.'s dominance of the Internet-search market, expects to work with its rival to reach more mobile-phone users.

more stories like this

Yahoo says it will provide software that lets independent developers and companies build programs for phones, including handsets running Android, Google's operating software for wireless devices.

"Once it becomes reality, meaning we find devices that ship with it, we're going to make sure that Yahoo services" run on Android, executive vice president Marco Boerries said Monday. "It is one of many operating systems that we support."

Boerries, speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, said phone carriers will hold Google accountable to its commitment to giving users equal access to services such as e-mail and online maps from competitors. Yahoo, Google, and Microsoft Corp. are trying to lure advertisers that are increasingly targeting Web users on the move.

The global mobile-phone ad market will surge tenfold to $16.2 billion by 2011, according to EMarketer Inc., a research firm in New York. To capitalize on that growth, Yahoo also introduced an upgraded mobile home page and a new version of its Yahoo Go software on Monday.

Google said in November that it's working with 33 companies, including Sprint Nextel Corp., T-Mobile USA Inc., and Motorola Inc., on Android. The group, called the Open Handset Alliance, offers free software for programmers who want to develop features for the devices.

Yahoo wants to reach as many users as possible, whether they have phones with operating systems from Google, Microsoft, or Symbian Ltd., Boerries said.

Last month, Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo forged a partnership with America Movil SAB, Latin America's largest mobile-phone company, to provide Web-search services in 16 countries.

Expanding in mobile advertising has gained importance for Yahoo as its sales growth slows. Revenue rose 12 percent in the third quarter, compared with a 57 percent jump at Mountain View, Calif.-based Google.

The gap reflects Google's lead in the Internet search market. Google had 59 percent of US queries in November, compared with Yahoo's 22 percent, according to Reston, Va.-based researcher ComScore Inc.

Seo Updates