Google maps sees China market share fall again in Q3

Google's mobile mapping service has seen its market share in China decline to 9 percent in the third quarter of this year, a research report says.

The report by Analysys International found that Google Maps now ranks the ninth among mobile map providers in China.

The market share for Google Maps peaked at 28 percent in the second quarter of 2011.

The top three market players are the domestic providers Amap, which had third-quarter market share of 25.9 percent; Baidu Map (19.2 percent); and Mapbar (9.5 percent).

Yin Jingxue, an analyst at Analysys International, blamed license issues for Google Maps' slide.

A guideline issued by the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation in December stipulated that Net mapping service providers apply for licenses before launching.

Google applied for the license in November 11 but has not yet received approval.

Without the license, Google Maps cannot be upgraded regularly and the system remains unstable. The market share for Google Maps has fallen since the guideline was issued. It was 23.2 percent in the first quarter and 17.5 in the second, Analysys International said.

Google Maps has more foreign competition, too. In September, Apple Inc. installed its own mapping service for its new products, replacing the original Google service.

Yin said Google Maps would continue to struggle in China due to growing competition and the rise of domestic services.

The U.S. Internet giant has struggled in China since it launched its simplified Chinese portal Google.cn in 2006. In 2010, after months of disputes with the government over its operations, Google withdrew its mainland operations and redirected users to its site in Hong Kong.