February 28, 2008 at 1:02 am · Authored by Julia · Filed under Mobile Applications

Opera has decided to switch allegiances, making Google the default search engine on Opera Mobile and Opera Mini and ending the browser maker’s previous relationship with Yahoo. Google will make its appearance on Opera from the start of next month.

The announcement is not the first time the pair have worked together: Google has been the default search option on Opera’s desktop browser for seven years. According to Opera, the new union will cover all global territories except Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, and includes all of Opera’s standard mobile web browsers.

The deal is good news for Google’s mobile ambitions: Opera users are a browsing-hungry bunch: Opera Mini users browse more than 1.7 billion pages. What’s more, Opera has shipped on 100 million mobiles and Opera mini has been downloaded by another 35 million.