Yahoo! extends T-Mobile deal

Yahoo! is extending its partnership with T-Mobile to be the default search partner on the operator’s smartphones. It follows a successful pilot in Germany, and will now be rolled out globally.

The deal will see T-Mobile’s WAP and GPRS homepages customised with Yahoo! as the main search engine available to users.

T-Nobile and Yahoo! will share ad search revenue, and it is hoped users will search for keywords using the T-Mobile homepage, rather than an alternative search engine.

The deal will enable Yahoo! to reach over 300 million subscribers across the globe. It also has a similar deal with AT&T in the US.

The announcement follows reports that Microsoft chairman Steve Ballmer told an audience that, while he has no interest in reviving any attempts to purchase Yahoo!, he is interested in a partnership pegged to searches.

On Tuesday, Yahoo! revealed that its chief executive Jerry Yang was stepping down from the role.