T-Mobile taps Yahoo, not its G1 partner, for search

“From the carrier perspective, it is about driving data usage using voice,” Ho said. “If you use speech recognition for search, the input is different than a 12-button keypad. Data gets consumed… It pushes the search items favored to the top, so there’s an upside for Yahoo or whoever the advertisers are, and if the carrier gets some sort of a cut of any of the sales of the items or whatever business model they agree to, there are winners all around with consumers using data – even though it’s not overt data use.”

According to a comScore report issued in September, the number of US users accessing mobile search has more than doubled as a result of expanded 3G penetration and smartphone adoption as well as the proliferation of flat-rate data plans. The research firm found that Google is still the preferred brand for browser-based searches, with a 60% share of mobile searchers in all countries. Yahoo comes in second in the US and, as of September, its mobile searcher penetration was at 34.6% here, more than double its share in most other countries.

Google has become a formidable force, especially from the power of its brand and its desktop presence, Ho said. In the past carriers may have been wary of the giant due to its wireless ambitions, but those fears have calmed as Google made its Android plans clear.

“From the standpoint of Google, they get those people who know it,” Ho said. “They get those services out to them regardless of whether they are in with carriers or not. All you have to do is go to m.google.com and get the whole suite of services.”

When it comes to mobile, Yahoo has repeatedly stated its intentions to be the start page for as many users as possible and is actively pursuing service provider relationships despite its struggles. T-Mobile too has struggled as it saw its third-quarter earnings decrease due largely to its lagging data revenue. The carrier introduced new bundled data plans today, which it says are designed to simplify the mobile experience. The plans include a new pricing structure, based on higher prices, with plans starting at $9.99 per month for the most basic plan to $34.99 per month for an unlimited data plan.