Virgin Mobile subscribers will now be able to search the Web, WAP sites, and Virgin Mobile’s own portal and storefront from their mobile phones via a complete range of mobile search services to be provided by InfoSpace.
InfoSpace’s recent collaboration with FAST Search and Transfer allows them to provide white-label mobile search services and a paid mobile search advertising platform to their client base, which consists of many large network operators.
Virgin Mobile is the UK’s largest mobile virtual network operator and uses T-Mobile’s network. Since its launch in November 1999, Virgin has attracted more than 4 million customers. Virgin Mobile is part of Virgin Media, which was the first group to be able to offer “quadruple play” to customers: mobile and fixed line telephony, broadband internet and television.
At present, Virgin Mobile users access the Internet from their mobile phones without going through any sort of branded portal or search engine. The default search engine that users are directed to, when they click on the “Search” link within Internet Services is Google.
Liaising with InfoSpace / FAST will allow Virgin Mobile to better monetise its own mobile Internet services through higher earnings from advertisers, mobile Internet users and visits to their own portal and store.
