Phonecontent.com

InfoSpace has announced that it is supplying Virgin Mobile with its complete suite of mobile platform services, including the addition of a customized, integrated mobile search solution. As a result, Virgin Mobile will be able to offer its subscribers the ability to search the web, WAP sites and Virgin Mobile's own portal and storefront providing access to ringtones, games and other premium content.

InfoSpace's next generation mobile search solution for Virgin Mobile will reflect the company's recent partnerships with FAST Search & Transfer, a leading developer of search technologies, and InfoGin, a leader in the field of Web-to-mobile content adaptation. Virgin Mobile will benefit from FAST's superior search software, relevancy algorithms, crawling and indexing technologies and InfoGin's Web-to-mobile content adaptation technology to deliver the most comprehensive and commercially deployed mobile search solution. InfoSpace's industry-leading metasearch technology seamlessly blends results from several sources including Storefronts, WAP and Web indexing, as well as Portal Search. With the InfoSpace's mobile search solution, operators can maintain visibility while providing users the advantages of a comprehensive mobile search experience that enables searching for any content or information, regardless of its origin or format, using a single search box.

Nick White, Head of Digital Services and NPD at Virgin Mobile, said: "If the impact of the internet on our daily lives, as well as the global economy, has taught the mobile world anything, it is that it's no longer about searching for the next killer application - search itself is the killer application. Virgin mobile is a firm believer that the there should be no limit to the content available for our users - from the latest celeb gossip to searches for entertainment in the local area or even the most cryptic piece of trivia - it must be available to everyone, everywhere. We are very pleased to extend our relationship with InfoSpace into this exciting new area."

George Fraser, Managing Director - Europe, InfoSpace Mobile, said: "The mobile phone has revolutionized communication when on the move. Mobile search is the next stage of this revolution and brings all of the world's knowledge to mobile users' fingertips. We have been working with Virgin Mobile on mobile content since 2001, so we know what their subscribers expect and demand. Our intimate understanding of the mobile portal, combined with our heritage in online search and directories, means we are uniquely placed to enable operators to really exploit the potential of mobile search."

InfoSpace already provides mobile search services for numerous operators worldwide including Sprint in North America, which included the world's first cellular location-based search service.