Startups in wireless have an edge over the search behemoths like Google and Yahoo!, according to a Wall Street Journal story today.

It explains that carriers are reluctant to hand over control to the big brands, so they are more likely to choose a small company when it comes to performing search on a phone.

One company, in particular, that is gaining traction, the story said, is Medio Systems, a Seattle-based company that builds search software for the mobile phone. It said the company is close to signing a deal with Verizon Wireless.

"Verizon's users will be able to search for downloadable multimedia content through a Medio-powered search bar. Medio is also developing a service to allow ads based on search results, similar to the model Google and Yahoo have pioneered on the Internet," the story said.

It was that advertising model that I explored in a story in April about Medio after it bought Seattle-based AdRelevance.