Brand :  MEdia Net 3.0

Company:  InfoSpace, Inc.

Name of Campaign
InfoSpace Powers Cutting-Edge Mobile Portal Platform

Challenge
To develop a mobile portal services platform that makes using the wireless Internet easier, faster and more relevant to users—with a comprehensive catalog of entertainment, information and personalized applications contained in an intuitive graphical interface.

Business Challenges                                       <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Ø        Consumers are frustrated with the complexity and the number of clicks required to find information on their mobile devices.

Ø        Consumers have been unable to personalize the content that is delivered to them on their mobile devices and are only offered a general list of options.

Ø        Consumers have been unable to easily find content that is related to their location such as nearby restaurants, stores or banks.

Ø        Data services growth for the carriers has been lessened because of cumbersome user experiences.

Ø        Carriers want to encourage repeat usage of data services.

Ø        Carriers want to find ways to tap into consumer willingness to pay for mobile phone features that offer extra value.

Solution
InfoSpace Inc. provides nearly half of the mobile content sold in North America and brings content and services to every major carrier, reaching 90 percent of U.S. mobile customers. In addition, in its nine-year history, InfoSpace built one of the largest legal mobile content libraries worldwide, allowing carriers to accelerate the widespread adoption of mobile media.

InfoSpace recognizes that consumers want more from their mobile devices. They want to quickly find information that is specific to their location and interests. Clicking through numerous menus to find that data is an unwieldy and time-consuming user experience. For example, they can’t easily or rapidly find local movie theaters, check flight times or access the white pages.

InfoSpace developed a turn-key mobile portal services platform, which was launched in November 2005 with Cingular Wireless as the new MEdia Net 3.0.

Available to tens of millions of Cingular subscribers, the InfoSpace solution allows users to personalize the content they see when they initially launch the Web browsers on their mobile phones. Users can search across all assets of carriers and beyond.

The platform offers streamlined management tools so that network operators can efficiently manage their platforms to help customers build stronger brands and maximize revenues.

With the new InfoSpace portal solution, users can produce a home page on their mobile phones created from up to 16 categories of content that appeal to them. They can view the content as soon as they launch their mobile browsers. Additionally, with the InfoSpace turn-key solution, customers can find information, ringtones, wallpaper and other wireless content in one easy-to-navigate dashboard.

A search box also powered by InfoSpace, is located at the bottom of the homepage and every category section. The search tool can be personalized using a zip code feature to find the nearest gas station, ATM, hotel or even a store that sells umbrellas in case of an unexpected storm.

Results
Consumers have an improved user experience with MEdia Net, easily and quickly finding compelling and relevant content. Fewer clicks – better results.

The InfoSpace mobile portal services platform provides higher network speed and “intelligent” and extreme personalization, giving consumers easy and fast access to relevant information. By significantly reducing the clicks needed to find important content, customers will experience navigation with more speed and with specific, personalized results.

The InfoSpace solution is available to Cingular customers today. In the future, InfoSpace will work with other mobile carriers who are interested in these new opportunities.

“With this new mobile portal platform, we have the potential to increase customer satisfaction and fees associated with mobile data access while simultaneously lowering back-end operating and maintenance costs.”

-- Jim Ryan, Vice President of Data Services Cingular Wireless