China Telecom and Microsoft layout 114 inquiry to challenge Baidu and Google

For Baidu and Google, the most powerful competitor is no longer just each other. They will face a joint impact from telecom operators and IT giant Microsoft.

Yesterday, China Telecom and Microsoft officially announced their cooperation in the search field, which they proudly called an "alliance of giants."

China Telecom's confidence comes from its long-term planning for multiple terminals, which means that searches can be conducted not only on computers via the Internet but also on televisions and more receiving terminals. "Our network television (IPTV) plan and applications based on third-generation mobile communication technology (3G) will make searching omnipresent," said a related official from China Telecom.