Celcom ties up with Google

theedgedaily.com:

The new tie-up of Telekom Malaysia Bhd unit Celcom (Malaysia) Bhd with online search engine, Google Inc, is the latest strategic alliance towards helping the group achieve its headline key performance indicators (KPIs).

"All our activities and services introduced this year is to help us achieve our market share under our KPIs," said Celcom’s chief executive officer Datuk Shazalli Ramly.

He said its partnership with Google would enable users with GPRS and 3G-capabled handsets the ability to search the web using Celcom’s own portal.

The Google tie-up is the latest strategic partnerships that Celcom has cemented with global mobile and technology players.

Shazalli (right) with Google Inc director (mobile strategy, Asia-Pacific & Latin America) Emmanuel Sauquet
Earlier this week, Celcom’s alliance with UK's Vodafone introduced, among other things, the Vodafone Mobile Connect 3G Broadband (HSDPA) data card and enhanced international roaming.

For the partnership with Google, Shazalli said the products would help it increase Celcom’s mobile subscriber market share, which stood at 35.9% as at June this year.

Speaking to reporters after the signing of the partnership with Google in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 21, he said Celcom Google search would provide results from Celcom’s extensive list of content and from the web.

“This will decrease the search time, which means customers can access content faster and more accurately. Only after the Celcom content has been shown will non-Celcom content follow,” he said.

Shazalli said Celcom would introduce products from its tie-up with Google in phases.

In the first phase to be launched by the end of October, Celcom will offer users the search engine on its WAP portal. The next phase will involve a web version by year-end.

Shazalli said Celcom would offer mobile G-mail as well by early next year. At some stage later, Shazalli said Celcom would include other features on Google such as Google Earth and Google Maps.

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