Competing Internet giants map out service
Print Edition
China’s online mapping service will be more competitive because Internet giants have launched map applications and street view products to capture mobile Internet users in a country with 464 million cell phone users by the end of June last year.
The Internet giants have also identified mapping services as an important element for social media and e-commerce.
The mapping service, especially on the mobile Internet, has become an important gateway for users to search for nearby service providers such as restaurants, cafes, bars and stores.
Tencent’s mapping service, which was rebranded from Soso Map to Tencent Map in early December, covers 100 cities. Tencent already allows users of its popular smartphone chatting tool, WeChat, to search for nearby retail locations from merchants’ official accounts, such as convenience stores.
Baidu, China’s largest search engine operator, also launched a similar service called Baidu Total View in August. Its coverage is limited to under 10 cities.
Baidu’s map app also connects with dozens of external services such as group buying and movie tickets.
Tencent invests over 100 million yuan each year into its street view program which employs more than 300 staff, said a recent interview with Chinese technology blog iFanr.com.
Google Street View was unveiled in May 2007 but wasn’t able to access locations on China’s mainland as the US firm hasn’t got the necessary license to operate mobile map services.
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