US mobile operator Verizon has begun a trial of its new mobile video service that aims to compete with established players like YouTube and Facebook.

The Go90 service, delivered via a standalone app, provides users with between 100 and 200 hours of exclusive video content from online networks including AwesomenessTV and Machinima, with revenues driven by data usage and targeted advertising.

The service is being offered to a select set of its own customers to begin with, and has already secured ad partnerships with several brands. The service will target you viewers and millennials to begin with, with most of the content aimed at under 30s.

While the service is being largely monetised through advertising, it will not initially make use of any of the ad tech that Verizon acquired when it bought AOL earlier this year for $4.4bn (£2.86bn).

The AOL technology is in the process of being integrated with Verizons video tech, and the targeted advertising tools it brings will be available over time.

The Go90 service will launch officially for all Verizon users later this month, but many brands are no doubt playing a wait and see game before signing on to advertise through the platform, given the proliferation of existing video services.

AT&T, Verizons chief rival in the US, reportedly already has a competing service in development, while smaller US operators Sprint and T-Mobile US are apparently watching the companys efforts closely.