Google and NTT DoCoMo partner in Japan

Japan's largest wireless operator, NTT DoCoMo, Inc. (NYSE: DCM), will be joining with the world's leading internet search company to provide advanced services to its customers. Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) will help NTT customers find what they want on the web through a promotional effort that aims to boost mobile search as well as generate revenue with search-related advertising.

In a country where much of the mobile subscriber population regularly accesses the internet through millions of cellphone handsets, this is a significant development. But it's not just because Google has partnered with a global wireless carrier -- it's because the partnership referred to search-related advertising explicitly.

One area that Google must treat carefully with new wireless partnerships is its ability to monetize its search service within the confines of a smaller screen. The company made its fortune supplying relevant but relatively simple text ads to web surfers, so it already knows how to reach customers successfully in another medium: supply relevancy and quality without taking away from the search experience.