Baidu Inc. said it would partner with global telecommunications provider France Telecom-Orange (FTE.FR) to provide a mobile browser to Orange’s 80 million customers in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

In a statement released Monday, Baidu said the mobile browser, co-developed with Orange, would be distributed both as a pre-install on smartphones using the Android operating system in Africa and also via application stores as a download. The browser is already available in English and Arabic, and the company said it plans to later roll out a French version.

The move marks the largest play in the mobile market outside of China by the search giant, which has in recent years had mixed success growing beyond its key domestic market. Baidu has been targeting growth in Brazil, Thailand and Egypt, though its operations there remain relatively small compared with its dominant position in the resilient Chinese search-engine market.

Baidu has had limited success offering its service in Japan and faces stiff competition from Google Inc. in Brazil. In the statement, Baidu said the browser would be catered to emerging markets and was designed to grab the rapidly growing numbers of people using smartphones to access the Internet in Africa.

Baidu declined to comment on the financial terms of the agreement. The browser will allow users to access web-based applications and is also open to services like Twitter and Facebook, which are blocked in mainland China.

In the third quarter, Baidu’s profits jumped nearly 60% on continued strength in online advertising spending, though analysts have recently worried that new search-engine competition, difficulties attracting smartphone users and slowing online advertising spending could harm Baidu’s business.