Nokia will adopt Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 as its primary operating system, which means Bing will become the default search engine on all Nokia phones. This alliance potentially could have some impact on search market share and paid search advertising.
In an open letter from Nokia CEO Stephen Elop and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, it was announced that:
- Bing would power Nokia’s search services across Nokia devices and services, giving customers access to Bing’s next generation search capabilities. Microsoft adCenter would provide search advertising services on Nokia’s line of devices and services.
- Nokia Maps would be a core part of Microsoft’s mapping services. For example, Maps would be integrated with Microsoft’s Bing search engine and adCenter advertising platform to form a unique local search and advertising experience.
Despite the ugliness between Bing and Google last week, Bing has had positive news this week, with Hitwise and comScore both reporting growing market share, and Compete reporting an increase in unique visitors. Time will tell if this new alliance will spur further growth for Bing and turn it into a competitor Google legitimately has to worry about.