Myriad to launch mobile social networking for low-end phones in Asian telecom markets

Telecom Lead India: Myriad Group, a provider of mobile
social and web experiences on connected device, will launch its new mobile
social networking service for low-end phones, Myriad Updates, in Asia.


Myriad Updates enables mobile subscribers who have
limited or no access to data to connect to Facebook and Twitter, and become
part of the explosive growth of global social networks.


The smartphone penetration in Asia is 19 percent. Myriad
Updates will create huge revenue opportunities for Asian mobile carriers by
enabling them to monetize subscribers on low-end devices.


More than 2.5 billion mobile users around the world use
Myriad software. Myriad has already worked with Tier 1 carriers such as
Telefonica, Vodafone and Orange in other regions with low smartphone
penetration such as Africa, India and Latin America. 


Myriad is on track to deliver social networking services
to over 1 billion mobile users in 2012. Powered by Myriad’s mobile social
networking platform – Xumii, Myriad Updates presents the user’s social network
activity on-screen as text using the USSD bearer. This enables users to stay
connected without having to install an app or requiring a data plan.


Recently, Myriad was selected by Orange to deliver mobile
social networking to over 70 million subscribers across its Africa region. In
the first week of launch, one carrier signed over 50,000 paying subscribers to
their new social networking service powered by Myriad Updates.


“Now, by allowing carriers to more effectively
monetize subscribers on low-end devices who do not have a data plan, we are
enabling them to capitalize on the huge demand for mobile social network access
– creating new lines of revenue from the majority of their subscriber base, a
group that was previously out of reach,” said Gordon Tsang, SVP Sales
& GM, Asia.


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