Google: Soon to be Big in Japan?
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Written By Sepideh Saremi | December 26, 2007 | Share This
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An agreement between Google and Japan’s largest mobile provider, NTT DoCoMo, will reportedly make Google the search engine and email service on NTT DoCoMo phones. According to Reuters, DoCoMo accounts for fifty percent of Japan’s mobile market and, as of last week, the company is also in talks with Apple to sell the iPhone.
The DoCoMo-Google agreement will go into effect in the spring, giving access to Google search, email, calendar, and photo sharing (Picasa). It is also said to include development of a handset using Google’s open-source, mobile operating system, Android, which will help Google increase its visibility and influence in Japan; Google is currently the second-place engine in the country, while Yahoo is first. Mobile internet use in Japan exceeds wired PC internet use, making mobile a crucial area for search engines to dominate in their bid for market share.
Though the deal between Google and DoCoMo is as yet unconfirmed by either company, it would be consistent with Google’s strategy in Asia: execs confirmed several months ago that Google’s China strategy emphasized mobile and included a total overhaul of its mobile offerings.
Topics: Google, International, Wireless & Mobile |