Sprint launches Microsoft-branded mobile search

Sprint Nextel today launched Microsoft's Windows Live search engine on its mobile network, heralding a major expansion of the strategic alliance the carrier formed with the software giant earlier this year. In addition to enabling Sprint Nextel subscribers to more easily seek news, sports scores and maps as well as multimedia content ranging from ringtones to games, the free service also creates a new revenue stream: Businesses may bid on sponsored links in the local-search directory, and will pay a fee each time consumers click said links to call them over their mobile phones.

"In recent years the search box has fundamentally changed the way people interact with the Internet, but we have only just begun to scratch the surface for what search and live Internet services can do in the mobile space," Microsoft Online Services Group senior vice president Steve Berkowitz said in a prepared statement. "Today's announcement is a positive step forward in enhancing the mobile search experience for consumers and advertisers alike, by putting locally relevant information in the hands of consumers."

The announcement represents a major change in the mindset of major U.S. carriers, who have previously refused to concede any part of the customer experience to web search engines or similar branded services for fear of losing control and profits. It's far too early to even suggest the carriers' walled gardens are coming down, however--once Google and Yahoo announce comparable deals with other operators, then we'll talk.

For more on the Sprint/Microsoft partnership:
- read this release

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- Leap Wireless maps out partnership with Google