InfoSpace: toward a new mobile positioning

Thomas Husson | June 04, 2007, 05:11 AM

In Europe, InfoSpace has until recently been viewed as a player in the mobile content business, particularly invested in the mobile games business. Following the wave of consolidation (latest news being I-play's acquisition), the company is coming back to its historical roots: SEARCH.

InfoSpace is now leveraging its online experience in the mobile space and just announced it has been selected by Virgin Mobile UK to extend its mobile offering for customers through on-portal and Internet Search Capabilities.

The solution is a white-label and customized mobile search engine to be available on Virgin Bytes' home page. It will thus offer Virgin customers the ability to search the web, WAP sites and Virgin Mobile's own portal and storefront.

Given the fact that InfoSpace is the main storefront provider of Virgin Mobile, it will enable the launch of integrated products & services in the future (recommended products based on past behaviour,...). Unified mobile services platform is clearly the way forward.

InfoSpace has been working with the likes of Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Ask for more than a decade (through it meta-search service) and is now partnering with targeted specialists (FAST; Infogin for web-to-mobile content adaptation). No doubt this will help the US company to move from the content to the platform business, unless its plans are challenged by a possible take-over from LaNetro Zed (such a rumor was raised last week)

We will very soon hear more about it.