Telecompaper

Vodafone plans to abandon its Vodafone live! brand for its portal services and switch to a new mobile internet marketing called My Web. According to marketing publication New Media Age, My Web has already been soft-launched in the UK and will gradually take traffic as Vodafone live is phased out over the summer. After the UK switch-over, roll-outs will follow in 11 international markets. My Web features a set of links to popular sites such as the BBC, Twitter and Facebook, and allows users to customise the interface with their own services and feeds. Simon Ryder, marketing planning manager at Vodafone, said the change is about making the data services easier to use, with quicker access and more personalisation options. Vodafone subscribers can also manage My Web from their PC, and the operator has developed a toolbar that can be embedded in browsers to let people add their favourite sites for access via mobile. Vodafone will continue to sell content such as ringtones, games and video via a Shop tab on the My Web portal as its commercial agreements with content providers remain unchanged. It will also continue to sell mobile ad inventory and offer mobile search via Google. The Nokia N85 and 6210 phones will be the first to be switched over to the My Web experience. The shift forms part of the launch of the Vodafone Homescreen user interface, which also includes the launch of the Vodafone Apps Shop.