Myriad Powers Mobile Social Networking for Non-Data Users

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS -- Myriad Group AG (SIX: MYRN), a global leader in mobile technology having shipped over 3.7 billion software applications on more than 2.2 billion phones, today announces the launch of Myriad Updates, a new text-based social networking service that makes mobile social networking, IM and email accessible to mass-market phone users. Myriad's Xumii platform is the first of its kind to enable operators to offer social networking services over USSD and SMS, creating new opportunities to reach an untapped market of over 4 billion consumers worldwide.

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Myriad Updates uses the Xumii platform that powers services for Telefonica and other major operators. This enables deployment in just a matter of weeks, allowing operators the opportunity to monetize data services in a new way that is complementary to existing data offerings, and is open to all  subscribers.

Using short codes through any mobile phone, subscribers who have no access to data can now connect to their favorite social networks, and stay in touch with their friends on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Flickr via Myriad Updates. The Xumii platform aggregates the most popular social networks into one single, operator-branded environment and enables subscribers to stay connected to these social networks without a data subscription and no need to download or install an application.

As mobile ownership is approximately three times higher than PC ownership in many developing countries (On Device Research Dec. 2010) and mobile social networking is on the rise with an expected one billion users by 2012 (eMarketer 2010), operators can now monetize this market with Myriad Updates by opening up social networking capabilities to all mobile subscribers.

"Hot on the heels of our partnership with Telefonica, Myriad will continue to react quickly to rising market demand to further expand the addressable market for operators. Through Myriad Updates, operators can enable mobile users with no access to data services, to connect with each other and the world around them for the first time," commented Simon Wilkinson, Myriad CEO.  

As part of Myriad's recent Telefonica partnership to provide mobile social networking services to Telefonica's Movistar and Vivo brands, Myriad Xumii services will be made available to Telefonica's 140 million subscribers across 13 countries in Latin America.

About Myriad

Myriad Group AG is a global leader in mobile technology and has shipped over 3.7 billion software applications in more than 2.2 billion mobile phones. Its comprehensive portfolio includes browsers, messaging, Java, social networking, user interfaces and middleware for all types of mobile phones, from ultra-low cost handsets to advanced smartphones.

The company provides both individual components and complete solutions, which enable handset manufacturers and operators to deliver amazing experiences on mobile phones. Myriad also develops USSD-based customer self-care platforms that deliver over 10 billion messages a year to 220 million mobile users across more than 35 mobile operators worldwide.

Myriad was created from the combination of industry leading companies, Esmertec and Purple Labs. It operates worldwide, with offices in Switzerland, France, UK, USA, Mexico, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Australia. Headquartered in Dubendorf Zurich Switzerland, Myriad is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX Symbol: MYRN). For more information, please visit www.myriadgroup.com.

SOURCE Myriad Group AG