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3g-g
28th March 2007, 10:42 PM
In a deal similar to the Voda / MySpace one Orange have got together with Bebo, another one of those online social interacty thingys, one I actually use myself, it's one of those stupidly addictive things you end up checking every night even though nothing has changed...


Orange has paid Bebo to provide its customers with an exclusive mobile version of its popular social network - for a while at least.

The move follows a similar tie-up between Vodafone and MySpace, which was announced in February. The French-owned operator told The Reg it had secured fidelity for "a number of months", as it aims to entice the Bebo's 7.15 million UK users to use its cell network. Orange refused to reveal the price it had paid Bebo for temporary loyalty.


With internet on-the-go still in relative infancy, sites like 31 million-strong Bebo have the upper hand over mobile operators, who prize exclusive services in their bid to reduce churn rates. O2 was also rumoured to be wooing Bebo, so it would have had its pick of sugar daddies.

Carriers can expect websites to ditch such deals if mobile browsing does take off, however, when users rebel against being railroaded towards a single operator.

In the UK at least, Bebo is perhaps a bigger prize than MySpace. The site often touts Comscore research which said its users spend longer browsing its network than any other website in the UK, which Orange will hope to rack up some decent data revenues through.

Bebo Mobile will launch in its UK stronghold in summer, timed to go up against Vodafone's MySpace service, which debuts in June. It'll roll out in other Orange territories later in the year. Orange UK plans to go big on Bebo, with a range of tariff packages offering unlimited access. Pricing will be announced nearer the time.

Bebo said its services will not be too hamstrung by going mobile, with all the main features of the website in place. Members will be able to update their profiles via SMS and receive Twitter-esque trivia from friends straight to their text inbox. Orange subscribers will also get access to a Bebo "members-only entertainment club", which we're assured isn't as dodgy as it sounds, instead offering gig and film tickets.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/28/bebo_orange/

Ben
28th March 2007, 11:09 PM
To be fair to Orange, Bebo has a little more credibility than MySpace. I'm not sure this is a necessary relationship, but every little helps when it comes to creating an attractive range of 'new' services.

3GScottishUser
3rd April 2007, 11:21 AM
No content will do anything for the loonies at Orange as long as they maintain the silly per MB charges they do.

£4 per 4MB for contract customers!!!

As far as I am concerned these clowns can put whatever they like on their portal, nothing justifies the current charges.

Orange just dont seem to have any joined up thinking in terms of consumer data use yet. What a sheer waste of them subsidising all those high spec handsets they tout on their website and in-stores paked with facilities that are simply too expensive for any sensible individual to consider!!

Beggers belief!!

Hands0n
3rd April 2007, 10:06 PM
Yet they have a Mobile/Broadband deal that clearly rocked your boat :) and mine, even though I did not subscribe to it in the end. My Telewest, oops sorry Virgin Media cable is being upgraded to 20Mbps this month for the same price I pay now! We do actually use the bandwidth across the entire family. At the moment I simply could not coutenance ADSL with its comparative limitations.

But yes, Orange (and the others) have got to wake up to the fact that Data Sells, or it would if the price was right. T-Mobile with their Web N Walk made a huge leap in the right direction. The others have done little to nothing to respond and envigourate a market just waiting to be let loose.



Beggars belief!!


Quite!

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