Baidu eyes 3G wireless Internet technology [CFP]

China's most popular Internet search engine Baidu "thinks highly of" the prospect of 3G wireless Internet access technology and is now in talk with mobile network operators for cooperation, the company's CEO Robin Li said Friday at the Boao Forum for Asia in the southern island province of Hainan.

"We have plans to develop the 3G wireless search engine project," he said. "We are now discussing cooperation with China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, the country's three major mobile network operators," he said after attending the Young Leaders Round Table Forum.

"The development of 3G wireless Internet is expected to give a boost to China's Internet industry," he said. "We are expecting the 3G era to come," he said.

Li revealed that the company's new search engine advertising program Phoenix Nest (Fengchao) would be released in the second quarter of this year. The program would replace the current Baidu Bidding Rank.

"With the number of China's Internet users hitting 300 million, the country would encounter problems that no other countries have ever met," he added.

Li said Baidu's business in the Japanese market has not been affected by the financial crisis.

"But we have no intention of accessing overseas markets this year, which accords with our original plan this year," he said. "We hope that 70 percent of Baidu's income may come from the overseas markets in 15 years."

Li also noted that he had seen the company's business turn better after the Spring Festival in January.

(Xinhua News Agency April 17, 2009)