Baidu, China's biggest online search engine, is to launch its largest international expansion to date with an exclusive deal to provide a mobile browser across Africa and the Middle East for many of the smartphones sold by France Telecom.

As part of a broader expansion in the region, France Telecom will pre-install the Baidu-based mobile browser for its Android customers in Africa and the Middle East. France Telecom's Orange has a total mobile base of nearly 80 million customers in the region.

France Telecom said that Africa would be the world's most dynamic telecom market in the next few years, adding that the Baidu deal would help drive mobile data adoption in markets where Orange is already seeing increased demand for Internet access via smartphones.

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