Yahoo! expands oneSearch with Smart, Sun Cellular tie-ups

SINGAPORE — Yahoo! announced this week new partnerships with Smart Communications and Sun Cellular to expand the user base of its mobile search service, Yahoo! oneSearch.

This is in addition to the global Internet company’s earlier partnership with Globe Telecom to carry the mobile search service to its subscribers.

David Ko, managing director and vice president of Yahoo! Connected Life, Asia-Pacific, said the partnerships with the Philippines’ top three carriers will allow Yahoo! to potentially reach all mobile subscribers in the country.

“These new partnerships advance our leadership in mobile services and demonstrates our commitment to working together with leading mobile operators around the globe,” Ko said in a press conference at the sidelines of CommunicAsia here.

“We are focused on developing mobile-first experiences like Yahoo! oneSearch to enhance the mobile Internet experience for consumers. By working with our carrier partners, all parties can succeed and produce a higher level of profitability and deeper consumer engagement,” he added.

Yahoo! oneSearch was launched in the United States last year to give mobile phone users access to mobile websites and relevant information such as news, financial information, weather conditions, and information from Yahoo! Answers around the globe.

Jojo Anonuevo, general manager of Yahoo! Philippines, said Yahoo! has been prioritizing resources on key consumer Internet starting points to provide locally relevant services to the consumers.

“Today, Yahoo! has the potential to reach 85 percent of online users on the desktop and even more of them on the mobile Internet. This is a reasonability we do not take lightly and we are very committed to growing the ICT industry in the Philippines,” Anonuevo said.

Smart and Sun Cellular, meanwhile, said the partnership with Yahoo! oneSearch is in line with their commitment to provide relevant services to their subscribers.

“In line with our corporate credo of fostering the convergence of people and our aim of making a real difference to the lives of millions of Filipinos with our mobile services, Smart is excited to partner with Yahoo! to provide our 32.6 million consumer base with the industry’s leading mobile search service,” said Danilo Mojica, head of Smart’s wireless consumer division.

“Sun Cellular is happy to partner with Yahoo! to provide its leading oneSearch service on Sun Cellular’s WAP site. This is an important part of our commitment to provide the best services to help link Filipinos to one another and to the rest of the world,” said Lissed Gamboa, Sun Cellular’s senior vice president for marketing.