Telecom operator Vodafone Essar has entered into a partnership with Switzerland-based mobile software company Myriad to provide social networking services to its subscribers in India via SMS and Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD).
As part of the agreement, Vodafone will be using Myriad’s flagship mobile social networking platform Xumii and will deploy Myriad Updates, a one-of-its-kind text-based mobile social networking service, which is also accessible on low-end phones. Moreover, subscribers will not require any Internet connection to access to the social networking services via its text message and USSD menu interfaces.
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“Adoption of social networking on mobile devices across India is growing exponentially. In order to keep pace with market demands, our partnership with Myriad will enable us to quickly and seamlessly deliver social networking services on a massive scale across our entire subscriber base using SMS and USSD,” says Kumar Ramanathan, CMO, Vodafone Essar.
Vodafone also plans to roll out more from Myriad’s portfolio such as SMS, instant messaging services, and mobile email, in the near future.
“Along with our important relationship with Telefonica in LATAM, our partnership with Vodafone Essar is further proof of Myriad’s unique and compelling portfolio for emerging markets,” says Simon Wilkinson, CEO of Myriad. “Not only does this agreement reinforce our leadership in mobile messaging and mobile social networking, it also extends our footprint in what is an exciting and fast-growing sector.”
Vodafone’s new venture comes months after rival Airtel brought the USSD-based social networking services in India. With the USSD feature, one can use social network such as Facebook without having an Internet connection. Vodafone seems to be targeting the youth, which is extensively following the social networking sites. The telecom operator recently launched a Facebook-integrated phone called Vodafone Blue.
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