• 5-year strategic partnership to deliver innovative social networking solutions, serving more than 80 million customers in 12 countries
• Services to be marketed under Telefónica Movistar brand, providing mobile access to popular social networks
MADRID, Spain – April 26, 2010 – Telefónica, one of the world’s largest telecommunications operators, and Myriad Group, a global leader in mobile technology with software in over 2 billion phones, announced today that Myriad has been selected to provide social networking aggregation services to Telefónica's mobile subscribers across 12 countries in Latin America.
Marketed under Telefónica's Movistar brand, Myriad services will enable mobile users to simultaneously access multiple social networks, via mobile browsers, downloadable apps and other mobile technologies. The aim of the partnership is to deliver a richer social networking experience for Movistar customers, over a broad range of devices including Movistar-branded phones.
“Latin American consumers are enthusiastic users of social networks. This agreement will bring them a compelling and affordable way to access these sites from their mobile phones,” said Luis Miguel Gilperez Lopez, Managing Director, Mobile Division of Telefónica Latin América. “One of the most appealing aspects of Myriad is its focus on mass-market phones rather than just high-end devices, which will enable Telefónica to reach the widest possible audience and make the most of this exciting opportunity.”
According to Internet measurement specialists comScore, Inc., 2 out of 3 global Web users visited a social networking site in December 2009. In Latin America the adoption rate exceeds 80%.
Telefónica currently serves more than 80 million mobile users in 12 Latin America countries, including Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
The Telefónica deployment is further testament to Myriad’s successful acquisition of social media pioneer Xumii, Inc., and it follows recent commercial success with Australian mobile network operator, Optus, which involved Myriad delivering social networking services to over eight million customers.
"Coupled with our recent deal with Optus, our strategic partnership with Telefónica clearly positions Myriad as a leading provider of social networking solutions for mobile operators," said Simon Wilkinson, CEO of Myriad Group. "Our unique ability to deliver end-to-end solutions, including deep integration of social networking into mass-market phones, enables operators to deliver next-generation services for all mobile users, even in markets where many users will never afford an advanced smart phone."