European mobile carrier giant Vodafone having Google web services powering its handsets, is going to have its 2006 signed deal with the Mountain View giant coming to an end sometime this year making web service providers to try their full efforts to get Vodafone’s attention towards them, though the real game is among giants.
Questions here arise like could Google convince Vodafone to re-sign another agreement with it?, would Vodafone like to change the taste and try another service provider?, would Yahoo, Google’s long term rival, be able to penetrate further into the European market as it already has agreements with European mobile operators O2 of Telefonica and T-Mobile of Deutsche Telekom AG?
Bloomberg through referencing people familiar with the possible deal, reports about Vodafone Yahoo talks. Though tells nothing if the deal is inked.
Officially though, there is no report confirming the deal. Yahoo reports about its talks with a number of mobile phone operators, Vodafone on the other hand, is also reported to have had involved in talks with others service providers.
The deal if materialized will make Yahoo, Vodafone handsets’ default search engine and will tighten Yahoos’ grip even more on the European market, exactly what Yahoo desperately needs at this time after losing its dominant position in desktop web services to Google.
In my opinion, the deal seems to get materialize since Yahoo is the best alternative in place of Google if Vodafone wants to change its taste which seems quiet likely. And for Yahoo its simply not possible for it to let the European giant pass by, it definitely will try its best to get chosen.
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