China's second largest fixed-line telephone operator, China Networks Communications Corporation (CNC), has struck a deal with Google to provide search services. The partnership, which will deliver around 16 million CNC broadband customers, will be a major boost for Google, which remains behind domestic search providers in China.
"The cooperation with Google is aimed at improving the company's competitiveness in integrating internet services while offering broadband users the most advanced internet applications," head of CNC Broadband Zuo Feng told the People's Daily Online.
The deal follows an agreement between Google and China Mobile to provide mobile search last month.
The company's attempts to launch its Gmail service in China have so far been frustrated by the owner of the Gmail.cn domain name's refusal to sell, however.
Several major western online firms have found breaking into the Chinese market highly challenging, with the massive and growing domestic web audience loyal to homegrown brands.
Google has made the country one of its priorities for growth and has had a research and development centre in China since 2005.
The company also has plans to expand its reach across East Asia and has recently advertised the directorship of a research centre in Singapore, although it has not yet made a formal announcement.
China's largest telecom operator, China Telecom, launched a search service provided by Microsoft last September.
