Baidu bets on app platform to boost presence

The nation's mobile Internet sector rapidly expanded this year, creating a brand new market for Internet companies.

The mobile Internet population grew by nearly 44 million users in the first half, lifting the total user base to 464 million, data from the China Internet Network Information Center show.

However, analysts warned that with other players quickly expanding their presence in the mobile sector, Baidu could fail to navigate the shift to the mobile Internet business.

"Baidu has to invent its own ecosystem in the mobile sector as soon as possible, because companies are trying to grab each other's territory in the emerging sector," said Wu Hequan, council chairman of the Internet Society of China.

New business models, such as Light Apps, may help the company break through the gates to the mobile era, he added.

Baidu said its mobile platform adoptions "gained momentum" and mobile monetization improved in the second quarter. For the first time, mobile revenue accounted for about 10 percent of the total in the past quarter.

Last month, the company acquired China's top app store, 91 Wireless Websoft Ltd, for about $1.9 billion. The deal was the most expensive in the nation's Internet history.