Facebook Adds Mobile Internet

location based services

The college social network site goes beyond text messaging, as wireless companies become more comfortable with the concept.

In a plan to boost its mobile offering, Facebook, the college-targeted online social network, will soon launch a feature that will enable Internet-style browsing over cell phones.
While Facebook already offers a text-message service for its users, the company had been quiet on whether or not the mobile service would be enhanced to work more like the wildly popular Internet site with more than 7 million users.

According to company spokesperson Melanie Deitch, Facebook has just finished building a WAP, or wireless application protocol, that will offer a browsing service that more closely resembles the way the site works online.
It’s an important move, because Facebook’s carrier partners Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and Cingular have been very careful about extending social network sites like Facebook onto their cellular networks because of privacy and security concerns.
A rise in parental concern over sites like MySpace has left the carriers somewhat hesitant to fully implement MySpace and Facebook onto their networks. However, Facebook’s move suggests carriers have lost some of their fears over a full-featured social network on cell phones.

According to several industry executives at the major carriers, Verizon Wireless, Cingular, and Sprint all had looked at doing a deal with MySpace, but the carriers were wary of moving too quickly.
But now, the rising use of cell phones, the massive popularity of Internet-based social networks, and the emergence of the first location-based cell phone applications add up to an attractive market.

Niche

Currently, MySpace only offers its mobile service over Helio, the new niche mobile carrier targeted at the early-adopter youth market.

That’s not to say that MySpace won’t land on the big 3 carrier plans soon. MySpace senior vice president of sales, Colin Digiaro said that MySpace’s exclusive deal with Helio will only be exclusive for less than a year.

Regardless of privacy concerns, the operators need the massive popularity of sites like MySpace with 76 million users; Facebook with over 7 million; and Bebo with over 23 million.

Startups

A variety of startups are moving into mobile social applications, which enable users to create mobile blogs, connect with friends, and access location-based services.

New York-based Rave Wireless has found early success with its mobile social applications, which it uses to partner with universities and carriers to manage students’ social and academic lives.

AirG, a mobile chat application, already has 7 million users. Newcomer flipt recently raised $5 million from venture investors New Enterprise Associates among others for its location-based social applications.

Intercasting’s Rabble is a mobile blog application, which targets users who want to create mobile content, albeit it racy mobile content.

WaveMarket, a location-based technology company that is powering Sprint’s Family Finder service, has a StreetHive mobile social network application, though the site is still in beta.