Amp’d expands social networking reach

Amp’d Mobile Inc. is continuing to build on its appeal to younger mobile phone users. The mobile virtual network operator has further expanded its mobile entertainment portal through fresh deals with Facebook.com, Freewebs.com and Livejournal.com, having created one of the largest collections of social networking communities on the mobile platform.
Amp’d said it will launch optimized mobile gateways for each of the social networking Web sites and develop branded entertainment and music-themed experiences with each partner. Amp’d also plans to incorporate its phone and rate plans tailored to suit each Web site’s audience. Furthermore, Amp’d will serve as the official wireless partner of Livejournal.com through 2007, adding to its already exclusive deals with Break.com and CollegeHumor.com.
The MVNO has been providing optimized access to MySpace since late last year. Although the carrier has no direct deal with MySpace, the social networking site is the third most popular site among Amp’d subscribers.
“Most of the other carriers have decided to align with one social networking site like MySpace, and we’ve really chosen to take more of an agnostic approach,” said Seth Cummings, senior vice president of content, development and programming at Amp’d. “It’s our philosophy to allow our users to access the social networking site they prefer.”
All of the social networking communities are currently available on deck via Amp’d Live. “You can really access any site and any social networking site,” Cummings said.
The deal with Livejournal.com was finalized at the end of 2006. Freewebs.com and Facebook.com finalized their partnerships with Amp’d earlier this year.