MWC 2008: T-Mobile drops Google for Yahoo
German-owned mobile operator opts to go with Yahoo for mobile search, leaving behind a previous partnership with Google.


T-Mobile and Yahoo have announced a partnership on mobile search, marking the end of Google's breakthrough mobile deal with the operator in 2005.
Three years ago, T-Mobile and Google partnered to position the web search giant as the home page for the mobile operator's Web and Walk data service.
The announcement at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today means T-Mobile will feature Yahoo's oneSearch for its mobile services as of the end of March 2008, leaving Google out of the picture.
"We believe we have found the best mobile search solution," said Christopher Schlaffer, group products and innovation officer at T-Mobile.
The Yahoo system is based on the idea of federated search, which gives contextual results from multiple sources rather than just the web, he said. For example, a search might yield maps, listings, photos, news, and downloads - as well as links to sources on the web.
"It delivers results, not just web links," said Marco Boerries, executive vice president of Connected Life at Yahoo. He added: "It's designed with mobile phones in mind, a very different approach to what other companies have in mind."
While that may be a dig at a certain other search engine, Google had some good news of its own at MWC this week, signing a similar partnership with Nokia.
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
Freelance journalist Nicole Kobie first started writing for ITPro in 2007, with bylines in New Scientist, Wired, PC Pro and many more.
Nicole the author of a book about the history of technology, The Long History of the Future.
-
UK government hails AI coding gains as developers report huge time savings
News Developers participating in a trial of AI coding tools from Google, Microsoft, and GitHub reported big time savings, with 58% saying they now couldn't work without them.
-
How to check if you’ve been affected by Salesforce attacks
News The FBI has issued a fresh advisory over the threat posed to Salesforce customers by two threat groups. Here's how you can stay safe and mitigate any risks.