Yahoo says mobile search service reaches 600 mn

Internet media firm Yahoo Inc said on Tuesday that its mobile search service will be offered by six more telecom companies in Asia.

"We are now able to reach 600 million subscribers," David Ko, Asia managing director and vice president of Yahoo's mobile division, told reporters at a news conference.

"This creates the scale to make mobile advertising attractive."

Yahoo now has 60 such partnerships worldwide, including with Mahanagar Telephon Nigam (MTNL) in India, Hong CSL Limited, Smart Communications and Digital Mobile Phlis (Sun Cellular) in the Philippines and Vibo Telecom in Taiwan.

He said the mobile advertising market was expected to rise to $16.2 billion in 2011, up from $1.5 billion in 2006, and that Yahoo "would obviously love to take a large chunk of that pie".