Google Mobile services partially blocked in China

Google is reporting that its Google Mobile services suite is currently facing a partial block in China in the wake of the digital services provider's decision to defy Chinese censorship mandates by redirecting users to its uncensored Hong Kong website. On Sunday, Google updated this page summarizing its service accessibility within mainland China--Mobile (including search, email, mapping and social networking) is one of four services facing partial blocks, alongside Docs, Picasa and Groups. Google Sites, Blogger and YouTube are completely blocked, while Web Search, Images, News, Ads and Gmail remain issue-free. The Los Angeles Times notes that Google did not respond to an inquiry seeking clarification on the precise nature of the mobile block.

Last week, operator China Unicom stated it will remove Google's mobile search services from phones running Google's Android mobile OS. China Unicom, the nation's second largest mobile carrier, said its Android manufacturer partners will instead determine which search tool is embedded on their phones. "We are willing to work with any company that abides by Chinese law... we don't have any cooperation with Google currently," said China Unicom president Lu Yimin. China Unicom's decision follows on the heels of similar statements by China Mobile, its largest competitor--the company offers a host of Android-based smartphones, but last week, chairman Wang Jianzhou played down its ties to Google, saying that the two did not have an exclusive relationship.

According to Chinese government data, the nation boasts 745 million mobile subscribers and 384 million active mobile web users, presenting a massive revenue opportunity for service providers and manufacturers alike. Earlier this month, with the feud between Google and Chinese lawmakers escalating, Motorola announced an agreement with Microsoft to deploy the software giant's Bing search and mapping services across Android-powered smartphones sold in the Chinese market, effectively reducing its dependence on Google mobile services in China or elsewhere.

For more on the Google Mobile block:
- read this Los Angeles Times article

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