Could advertising supported mobile phone service be changing the future of how we use our cellular phones?

Blyk, a new UK-based mobile Network for 16-to-24 year olds, is banking on everyone wanting some free mobile minutes and texts in return for checking out some ads.

Currently the network is offering up 217 texts and 43 minutes of calls in return for the ad acceptance.  The users can add more usage credits than that if they need, but these are the stats during this initial start-up period for the fledgling test.

One thing is certain, you can expect Google to be watching the success, or failure, of the upstart company.  Rumors have been circulating for ages that the Gphone would use an ad-supported payment structure, so it is sure to be a learning lesson for them, and others, to see how this goes down with the public at large.

For now Blyk seems to be focusing on the pay-as-you-go type of customers, as opposed to the contract locked customers.  If the initial results are successful, it is difficult to tell where this may go in the future.  And as to what this may do to the traditional mobile phone companies if it takes off is difficult to say.

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Entry was posted on Monday, October 1st, 2007 at 1:46 am under Cell phones.

Read more entries by Sean P. Aune.
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