Google Inc has won U.S. approval to buy mobile advertising rival AdMob, after months of delay and rumour that the No. 1 Internet search engine was headed for a court fight with government officials over the $750 million transaction.
The Federal Trade Commission's decision followed unusually public comments by app developers -- whose software for mobile devices are often supported or subsidized by advertising -- that the agency's staff seemed determined to challenge the deal.
The FTC said in a statement on Friday that it was concerned that two top mobile advertising networks were combining, but said Apple Inc's entry into the market would mitigate the effects of the Google/AdMob powerhouse.