The biggest Japanese mobile operator, NTT DoCoMo, and the search giant Google have formed a partnership that includes providing search services, search-related advertisement and potential applications to i-mode users. With 53 million subscribers at the end of September 2007, NTT DoCoMo is the largest mobile operator in Japan, controlling half of the market.

According to NTT DoCoMo, i-mode, the mobile Internet service promoted by the company, has already 48 million users.

Thanks to the new partnership, the users will have access to Google search results for mobile and PC web sites via the i-mode portal search-box. The service is scheduled to be launch this spring. For Google, the partnerships means a chance to expand its presence in Japan, where Yahoo Japan Corp is leading the search market.

Keyword based advertisements using Google's ad platform AdWords will also be provided on the search-result pages in conjunction with the search results.

Besides search, other Google’s services will be made available for i-mode users. The two companies are considering Google Maps for Mobile as a standard pre-installed application on upcoming i-mode handsets to be launched in the near future.

In the near future, GMail, Picasa and YouTube will be integrated in the mobile phones sold by the Japanese operator.

Furthermore, in all upcoming DoCoMo full-browser capable handsets, Google will be set to appear as the default start-page on the full-browser.

In a press statement, NTT DoCoMo and Google said the parties are will study the possibility of bringing Android based handsets to the Japanese market.

Last year, Yahoo expanded its mobile search presence in Asia by signing deals with nine mobile phone operators from India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.