Mobile operator O2 is expected to drop UK support for the i-mode mobile internet service, less than two years after its introduction.

The wireless system, developed by Japanese company NTT DoCoMo, was launched in the UK two years ago. Since then O2 has succeeded in attracting only 260,000 active users, despite spending an estimated £10m on advertising.

In other territories, i-mode has proved to be increasingly popular among mobile owners – particularly in Japan, where the service has over 46 million users.

The i-mode portal allows users to connect to a wireless network of custom-designed sites from O2 and third-party partners such as the BBC and eBay. The service requires the use of a compatible phone model, but relatively few of these are available in the UK.

In 1999, under its previous identity as BT Cellnet, O2 experienced similar frustration with its attempts to promote a WAP-based service. A heavy advertising campaign promised an internet-like experience, yet consumers were largely unimpressed by the limited content available.

The decision to scrap i-mode arrives just as Google announced plans for a new search engine tailored specifically for mobile networks.

The new tool will allow users to look for downloadable content such as games and ringtones. Google is reported to have been working with entertainment companies to index their content to facilitate searches in the future.

As with the existing web-based Google engine, businesses will pay to have their sites appear higher on a list of given results. A mobile version of the original search tool was released in 2005.

Global sales of mobile content exceeded £13bn last year. Market research firm Yankee Group expects that figure to reach £28.9bn by 2011.