7526 0 3 econsultancy_xml <p> <em>"The mobile phone is the 'missing link' for social networking,</em>" said Bebo president Joanna Shields, with many anticipating the phenomenon <em>du jour</em> to really take off once the experience can be effectively delivered to mobile devices.</p> <p>The Times <a href="http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article1577328.ece">reports</a> O2 had been negotiating the Bebo deal but Orange had clinched the link for its 15.3m subscribers. Similar partnerships are expected to be rolled out around Europe later.</p> <p>Rival MySpace in February inked an exclusive UK hook-up with Vodafone to carry its social networking features on the world-leading network.</p> <p>But Bebo began to overtake News Corp's site in the UK last year and boasts a younger demographic that may make greater use of the mobile version.</p> <FormattedContent xmlns="http://www.e-consultancy.com/schema/formattedContent/"> <Paragraph> <Quote>"The mobile phone is the 'missing link' for social networking,</Quote>" said Bebo president Joanna Shields, with many anticipating the phenomenon <Quote>du jour</Quote> to really take off once the experience can be effectively delivered to mobile devices.</Paragraph> <Paragraph>The Times <Link URL="http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article1577328.ece" Window="New">reports</Link> O2 had been negotiating the Bebo deal but Orange had clinched the link for its 15.3m subscribers. Similar partnerships are expected to be rolled out around Europe later.</Paragraph> <Paragraph>Rival MySpace in February inked an exclusive UK hook-up with Vodafone to carry its social networking features on the world-leading network.</Paragraph> <Paragraph>But Bebo began to overtake News Corp's site in the UK last year and boasts a younger demographic that may make greater use of the mobile version.</Paragraph> </FormattedContent> 2007-03-28T15:13:00+01:00 0 1 econsultancy_xml <p> <strong>Bebo has reportedly signed an exclusive UK deal with Orange that will place the youth-oriented social network on mobile handsets from the summer.</strong> </p> <p>Orange customers will get to edit profiles, message friends and write blog posts, although exclusivity will last for a limited time before Bebo makes the service available to other networks.</p> <FormattedContent xmlns="http://www.e-consultancy.com/schema/formattedContent/"> <Paragraph> <Emphasis>Bebo has reportedly signed an exclusive UK deal with Orange that will place the youth-oriented social network on mobile handsets from the summer.</Emphasis> </Paragraph> <Paragraph>Orange customers will get to edit profiles, message friends and write blog posts, although exclusivity will last for a limited time before Bebo makes the service available to other networks.</Paragraph> </FormattedContent> false 991 362965 Orange to deliver mobile Bebo in UK false 2007-03-28T16:30:00+01:00 orange-to-deliver-mobile-bebo-in-uk 2009-04-29T11:04:15+01:00 2009-04-29T11:04:15+01:00 125