[Wayde]

The race for mobile search is on. Google, Yahoo and Microsoft have all struck deals with cell phone service providers aimed at competing in the mobile search market. The big web search engines want their search logo to pop up on your cell phone. Providing your handset with the same search services including maps email and instant messaging is seen as the next big growth market for the search industry.

Today few people today use the phone to browse the web but this is about to change. Faster phones and wider 3G mobile networks across Europe and North America means more high speed features on new cell phones. If it doesn't already your next phone will browse the web as well as download and display full motion video. How big is the growth potential for mobile search? Considering there are twice as many cell phones in operation worldwide as there are computers, it's huge! A fierce search war is just beginning over the cell phone market. In the quest for a clever angle that gives them a leg up on the competition expect to see creative features that encompass cellular network and search engine technology.

"Local search" is expected to be a key feature exploited by the mobile search engines. The feature can be seen in use today with "True Local", a search engine that pinpoints your query to a specific location.

"The leading edge battleground between us and Google in local search really will come on the phone." Predicts Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer.

Yahoo Go Mobile is cell phone search software developed for Cingular Wireless in the US. Google just cut a deal with the world's largest cell phone provider, the UK's Vodafone Groupe PLC. Google will be linked on the top of the menu in Vodaphone's branded web portal. Deutsche Telekom who owns T-Mobile in the US is also getting a Google branded search window and will be the first thing users see when they connect to their mobile network.

Microsoft is getting in on mobile search by acquiring MotionBridge a Paris based mobile search developer. MotionBridge's search engines are currently only designed to search within the limited portal of its customers which includes Sprint - Nextel Corp, France Telecom and SA Orange. Microsoft plans to introduce its own wider Internet search to MotionBridge's mobile search engine.

The question that remains, will mobile search pay?

Traditionally search engines have made money by selling ads for specific keywords. Advertisers "pay-per-click" to have their ads appear in limited text next to the query. But will the same model work on a 2-inch LCD screen?

Mobile search monetization will certainly use the conventional pay per click browser ad model but will also ad telecom functionality. Pay per click could evolve to include click-to-call ads to generate revenue where an ad links directly to a cell phone number. Google is currently testing mobile ads in Japan.

In the near future your cell phone search experience could look like this.

Visiting from out of town and hungry for carry-away Chinese? No problem. Whip out your cell and search on Chinese food. You're carrier already pinpoints your location by the cell you've connect to so your search is already localized. User feedback provides restaurant ratings so your query can appears in order of user preference. In one click you've dialed the number to the best Chinese place in town (specified by users) with delivery. You're only in town one night and already an expert in local culinary delivery.

Look for local mobile search at a cell near you.

Wayde Robson

GizmoCafe