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Google News Now Available in Cell Phones
The Internet search giant Google and Russia’s major cell company VimpelCom announced a joint project on Thursday. Subscribers of VimpelCom’s Beeline will have access to news stories from Google at the mobile operator’s WAP portal. Google thus hopes to enlarge its readership in Russia by attracting Beeline’s clients and gain from mobile advertisement profits.
Beeline’s clients will now have access to news stories gathered by Google at the mobile operator’s WAP portal, Google and VimpelCom, owner of Beeline, said Thursday. “News is a traditionally one of the most visited sections at Beeline’s WAP portal,” VimpelCom’s Zinaida Khokhlova told reporters. 17 million clicks are recorded at Beeline’s WAP portal every month. The number of clicks to Google through Beeline’s portal is only 1 million. Offering its new service, Google hopes to raise this number.
If Google starts placing advertisements at Beeline’s portal, it may reap up to $80,000 a month, says Kirill Rozhkovsky, head of WapStart. Between 30 and 50 percent of the sum will go to VimpelCom.
Profits from mobile advertising worldwide reached $3 million in 2006, according to research of the Informa analytical company. Experts predict the revenues to grow to $1.5 billion by 2011.
Google is currently cooperating with other big mobile operators such as Vodafone, T-Mobile, China Mobile and SK Telecom.
Russian search systems do not declare plans to enter deals with mobile operations. Yandex believes that mobile search should be promoted through cooperation with major phone producers. The country’s largest search system has already struck a deal with Nokia to these ends.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Mar. 16, 2007
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