CES 2009
Verizon Wireless Seals the Deal with Microsoft’s Search Service
| Jan 9, 2008 | Wireless Services - U.S. | Show Update
|
Analyst: Deepa Karthikeyan
Current Perspective: Neutral/Positive
Vendor Importance: High
Market Impact: Moderate |
|
Event Summary
January 7, 2009 – Verizon Wireless has embarked on a five year agreement with Microsoft, making the latter’s Live Search service the default option on its deck. Live Search will provide contextual results to the carrier’s users and also support voice commands and location aware searches on capable handsets. The service will be preloaded on the device’s home screen providing an easy click to access option to users. Microsoft will also solely manage the carrier’s search and display advertising, which will be location enabled to reach the right person at the right time and place.
Analytical Summary
• Current Perspective: Slightly positive on Verizon Wireless’ partnership with Microsoft to make LiveSearch the default option on its deck as it provides the carrier’s customers with contextual and location aware search results, significantly improving their mobile experience. This will also lead to an increase in usage, which will consequently lead to increased data revenues for the carrier. However, the fact remains that LiveSearch is not the most sought after option in the mobile space today and Google or even Yahoo! aficionados might continue using their favorite search engine by bypassing the default option.
• Vendor Importance: High to both Verizon Wireless and Microsoft, because the largest wireless carrier now offers a mobile search option that provides relevant results to users and a lucrative avenue for mobile marketers. Microsoft desperately needed this alliance to stay in the mobile search game especially since competitors Yahoo! and Google are way ahead of it in terms of carrier partnerships. LiveSearch is already the default search engine on Verizon’s wireline properties, making this a double win for Microsoft.
• Market Impact: Moderate on the wireless market as all the top tier carriers have already partnered with either Google Search or Yahoo!’s OneSearch, which have wider adoption/usage rates than LiveSearch. However, it is important to note that Verizon Wireless will make available location-aware data for search queries, which strengthens the deal and might just be the much needed impetus for wide scale location enabled search and advertising mobile services.
CLIENTS ONLY
Current Perspective
Competitive Positives and Concerns
| Client access - Full report in Wireless Services - U.S. | More information
Top
|
