YouTube in talks with operators to reduce mobile video traffic crunch

Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) video aggregator service YouTube said it is meeting with a number of mobile operators in an effort to reduce the impact of increasing video traffic across wireless networks. YouTube Mobile lead product manager Andrey Doronichev told Bloomberg the company is also in discussions with handset manufacturers in an effort to identify solutions to optimize the flow of data over mobile networks. Doronichev declined to name specific carriers or OEMs, but said "We're in the middle of the process."

European operators including France Telecom and Telefonica are seeking new deals with Google and rival Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), among others, to address network bandwidth concerns. The carriers maintain digital applications and services are overloading their networks without companies like Google and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) doing enough to contribute to network maintenance and improvement. Bloomberg notes that Google is in talks with France Telecom to sign a deal to jointly develop network technology, citing two sources familiar with the negotiations.

Mobile subscribers worldwide now generate more than 200 million views each day, up from 100 million in mid-2010. Last year, mobile web platform provider Bytemobile reported that YouTube represents 36 percent of total mobile video traffic.

For more:
- read this Bloomberg article

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