Mobile telecommunication networks are growing at an alarming rate, thanks to mobile phone models that allow consumers to do practically everything their computer can do. Internet companies are thus moving aggressively to bring search, e-mail, mapping and other familiar online services to these multi-functional handsets.

Search is definitely joining the mobile bandwagon. During the recently concluded Mobile World Congress fair in Barcelona, Spain, Nokia announced that it will be adding Google to the list of search engines consumers can access from their mobile phone handsets.

According to Ilkka Raiskinen, Nokia’s vice-president of software and services: “Providing choices for our consumers is an important driver in Nokia’s Internet service strategy. Google search would at first be added to selected phones and markets and later to some mass-market models in more than 100 countries, both company said in a press release. Nokia though already has similar deals in place with Microsoft and Yahoo, as well as with Yandex in Russia and Baidu in China.

Incidentally, Nokia and Google have already collaborated in a limited way, with Google search available on Nokia’s Internet tablets. Some of Nokia’s top models also support the popular Google-owned video-sharing site YouTube.

But some analysts, however, paint a less positive picturethat Nokia is quickly findings solutions to fight off the arrival of Android-based technology that Google may offer.

“This also might be a bit of a defensive move in light of Android-based devices supposedly coming in the second half of 2008,” said Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi. “Although Nokia might not adopt the Android platform it is making sure they are working with Google and offering consumers what they want.”

Google is scheduled to roll out its Android software (a direct rival to Nokia’s S60 platform) for mobile phones later this year.