Mobile portals on the rise: Wireless-specific market gaining definition

Despite the entrance of big names such as Yahoo! and MSN into the wireless portal space, a new start-up thinks it can do better. AirFlash is introducing itself to the wireless marketplace this week with a wireless portal that it says is different from the rest.

"The key is how to provide information and how to make it relevant," said Glenn Gottlieb, vice president of marketing and business development for AirFlash.

AirFlash focuses on pull services rather than typical push services. Customers will be able to query location-based Yellow Pages, learn about local events and places, find directions and traffic information, and perform e-commerce transactions.

The service employs a search engine and ties in location information to deliver relevant content to customers. Using cell sector information provided by the carrier to determine where the customer is, AirFlash adds intelligence to its service to respond, for example, to a query for the hardware store that is easiest to get to rather than closest to the user.

AirFlash will provide some of its own content and embrace existing content, such as news or driving direction services. "It's more of a content management environment," Gottlieb said. AirFlash plans to host and operate the service for carriers and will earn money from licensing fees and splitting e-commerce revenues with the operators.

AirFlash hopes its service will strengthen the connection between the operator and its customers. "This is about providing the carrier an opportunity to own the customer relationship," Gottlieb said.

But owning that close customer relationship may not be all that important. "If [carriers see] traffic, they will subjugate their brand to a content provider," said Gerry Purdy, president of Mobile Insights.

AirFlash intends to begin trials with operators in August. Rather than waiting for Wireless Appli-cation Protocol-based services to be commercially deployed, especially in the United States, AirFlash also can be offered using existing service management system capabilities.

Although AirFlash's concept is compelling, it's not entirely unique. Saraide.com is also in the business of aggregating content for delivery to wireless handsets. Calling itself the "portable portal," Saraide.com specifically chooses content with "wireless personality," meaning the information is customized for mobile users and is time- and location-sensitive. Saraide.com also operates as a service bureau, is short messaging service-compatible and will be WAP-compatible.