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AUSTIN, Texas - Sunnyvale, California-based Internet company Yahoo has formed a partnership with Latin  America's leading mobile phone company America Movil that will make Yahoo's oneSearch mobile search service the default for 143 million wireless subscribers in 16 Latin American and Caribbean countries, in what is the largest of the 21 mobile phone search agreements it has announced to date this year. The agreement, which was announced today in a joint statement, will also allow Yahoo to place links on America Movil's Web portals that lead to its other mobile Internet services. Custom oneSearch Portals for Each Country The agreement, which will see Yahoo creating customized local versions of its oneSearch mobile search service for each region served by America Movil, is expected to bring additional Yahoo products and services to mobile devices over the coming months. America Movil chose to partner with Yahoo in part due to the success it has had globally with mobile oneSearch. "Fostering  deep relationships with mobile innovators like Yahoo! is an essential part of our mobile strategy," said Luis Cosio, America Movil's value added services director. "With our mobile leadership in Latin America combined with Yahoo!'s expertise in mobile Internet services, we are delivering compelling mobile experiences for consumers and driving further adoption of the mobile Internet," Cosio said. America Movil, in addition to its large wireless subscriber base, has 3.8 million landline users in the Americas. Yahoo's Mobile Search Deal With America Movil its Biggest Yet It has been less than a year since Yahoo launched its oneSearch mobile service, which allows cell phone users to access both traditional and mobile enhanced Web sites and to access information such as local weather, flight  schedules, plus entertainment and restaurant listings. Yahoo's oneSearch was created specifically to display this type of information on the first screen users view, cutting down on the number of results pages a mobile user must sort through on cell phones. Yahoo also offers e-mail, financial information, photo-sharing and mapping applications to its mobile customers. Making Mobile Navigation Easier "Yahoo! oneSearch delivers a search experience specifically designed for the mobile phone by delivering relevant results and instant answers in a user-friendly interface, thereby removing the need for consumers to navigate through a sea of PC Web links. oneSearch provides consumers access to news, financial information, weather conditions, Flickr photos, Web images, and Web and Mobile Web sites," Yahoo said in today's statement. The Biggest in a Series of Mobile Partnerships for Yahoo Hoping the partnership with America Movil will extend its already formidable global reach, the deal announced today is Yahoo's biggest to date. "Our partnerships with leading global operators like America Movil are essential to expanding Yahoo!'s mobile reach and demonstrates our commitment to working with partners to enhance consumers' mobile Internet experience," said Yahoo's vice president and general manager of Connected Life Americas, Bruce Stewart. "By providing compelling mobile experiences and continuing to partner with key operators to provide services tailored for their customers, we can grow usage of the mobile Internet, create new revenue streams and extend our leadership in mobile services," said Stewart. Yahoo oneSearch is now available in 19 countries worldwide, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, England, and Ireland. Last month Yahoo signed agreements with nine cell phone operators in the Asian-Pacific region bringing its coverage in the region to nearly 40 percent. In October Yahoo signed a long-term agreement with Madrid-based telecommunications group Telefonica S.A., which has nearly 100 million mobile subscribers in several Latin American and European markets. Yahoo appears to be doing all it can to make its mobile oneSearch Web service a global success, and as competition in the mobile search and information arena increases, the partnership announced today appears to be an important step forward towards its goal. Related Links:
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11:09 pm on Dec. 20, 2007 (utc 0)