Optus Goes Social with Myriad

Australian mobile network operator Optus is to offer its 8 million customers social networking services, powered by Myriad, whose software is in over 2 billion mobile phones worldwide.This is the first social networking deal announced by Myriad since acquiring Xumii, which pioneered the use of cloud-based technologies to simultaneously connect mass-market phones to multiple social networks.

The Myriad-powered Optus SocialView service seamlessly adds social networking features to Optus’ existing mobile portal, Optus Zoo. Using a mobile phone browser, Optus users can now view friends’ messages from Australia’s most popular social networking sites – Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Flickr. Users can also post their own updates and tweets, either to a specific site, or to all of their social networks simultaneously.
The service requires only a standard mobile browser, and customers also have the option of receiving free text alerts, including social network updates and one-click access to SocialView.

“Social networking services are a sure-fire way for Optus to increase the appeal and popularity of Optus Zoo,” says Jennifer Zanich, Myriad’s General Manager for Xumii services. “Viewing friends’ updates and changing status are the most common actions on social networks. Enabling these features on a single screen creates a quick and easy way for mobile users to stay in touch throughout the day, which will increase visits to Optus Zoo and ultimately drive the adoption of other services on the portal.”