Info2Cell, the Middle East and North Africa VAS (Value Added Services) company, has signed up Myriad Group to deliver social networking services across the region. 

Myriad, a mobile software company that supplies browsers, messaging, Java, and UI software,  will supply a range of services to Info2Cell, including social networking services for low-end phones. The service, called Myriad Updates, launched at Mobile World Congress in February. 

Under the Info2Cell brand, Myriad will manage and power Info2Cells mobile social networking offering. Info2Cell will focus on promoting its new service amongst its 40-strong network of mobile operator customers.

“Adoption of social networking in the MENA region is growing at an exponential rate,” says Bashar Dahabra, co-founder and CEO of Info2Cell. “In order to keep pace with market demands, we needed a partner that would enable us to quickly deliver mobile social networking capabilities on a massive scale across multiple device segments. Myriad has allowed us to seamlessly integrate social-networking services into our overall offering with little technical challenges.”

The partnership will allow operators to monetize data services, and makes social networking available to all subscribers, making mobile social networking accessible to mass-market mobile phone and non-data users in the region, says Myriad.

“This is a landmark partnership and a real milestone for Myriad,” says Myriad CEO, Simon Wilkinson. “Because of Info2Cells extensive relationships in the MENA region, we have the opportunity to roll out our mobile social networking services on an unprecedented scale.”