Google Maps continues to struggle in China

Online map service provider Google Maps continued to lose China market share in the third quarter after licensing rules were introduced last December, Caixin reported, citing a research report. The Analysys International report revealed that Google Maps now has 9% of the market, a far cry from the 28% the service had captured in the second quarter of 2011. Licensing issues contributed significantly to Google Maps’ decline, Yin Jingxue, an analyst at Analysys International, said. Due to changes in internet map licensing laws in December last year, service providers have to get a license before they can update mapping systems. The company applied for a license on November 11, but has not yet received approval. Its market has deteriorated rapidly since then, the analyst said. The company started with a 23.2% market share in the first quarter of the year, and declined rapidly to 17.5% in the second.