Verizon and Google negotiate partnership

VERIZON AND GOOGLE have inched closer to a partnership that could see the search giant's services utilised by the Internet provider's wireless unit to help drive mobile search.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the deal would designate Google as the default search provider on Verizon devices and grant the company a share of ad revenue.

The two industry heavyweights have also expressed interest in working together to create a single Verizon search platform that would allow users to more easily browse various items, including ringtones, restaurants and Web pages.

Verizon may also harness Google's technology to power Internet and TV searches.

However, the deal may still falter as the mobile provider is reportedly wary of the amount of data stored from mobile searches by Google.

L'INQ

Wall Street Journal (sub)