Mobile search has come out of nowhere to be the de facto mega-trend of 2007. Recognizing that online search is the interface to all content on the Internet, industry insiders and analysts are bullish about the central role of mobile search as a means to navigate both the mobile Web and all the information users have stored on their phones. Despite the excitement, however, search usage in U.S. and much of Europe has been slow (albeit steady).

Not so in China. A new report from iResearch, a Chinese information consulting company estimates the number of mobile search users in China will more than double to reach 71 million. A whopping 127 million will use mobile search in 2008. The report also predicts a strong interest in search as more content-rich services, such as mobile video and mobile TV, come online.

The challenge will be the balancing act search engine providers face as they try to meet operator requirements to confine users to their portals and user demand to explore the wider Web. Sensing a business opportunity major search providers have sharpened their focus on China. Google recently tied up with China Mobile to provide on-portal mobile search services to its 300 million users. Meanwhile, Baidu, the country’s number one search engine that is already a part of Nokia’s mobile search scheme, is said to be in talks with China Unicom.