With MobileInstantNews, mobile users can now access and share multimedia-rich Instant News in multiple languages, from a smart and intuitive ODP application, designed for them.

This solution is a new application of the Portal Booster technology already powering mobile network operators and handset manufacturers for their global, top of the line ODP needs.

Agence France-Presse (AFP), the worldwide news agency, and MobileScope, the leading On-Device Portal (ODP) vendor, today announced the availability of MobileInstantNews, the first and most innovative ODP solution for instant news delivery on mobile phones. Designed to support ad-funded services deployment and viral communication, this white-label solution combines the editorial quality and reliability of the AFP content to the unique features and intuitive user experience offered by MobileScope ODP application. MobileInstantNews will be introduced for the first time at the Mobile World Congress 2008 and distributed worldwide by MobileScope in Q1 2008.

MobileInstantNews is an integrated service environment based on Portal Booster, MobileScope ODP technologies, and accessible from a Java application pre-loaded – or downloaded – on the device, which offers a simplified access and navigation through 50 news categories. Users can easily access instant news in multiple format – text, images, video news – and also personalize their selection, create their own News Channel, search the news archives, choose within various skins and several display modes.

MobileInstantNews is viral, as users can easily share the application or any piece of news with a friend with a simple SMS containing the link to a WAP page – generated automatically – with the full article. Opinion Survey is another key built-in feature of MobileInstantNews that can be customized to leverage the community spirit among service users.

The solution has been designed to fully benefit from the potential offered by ad-funded services. Sponsors are being offered several promotion options, from WAP links to waiting screens, and from interstitials to viral programs.

According to Otman Meriche, Business Development Manager at Agence France-Presse, “The market continues to see a growing interest in Mobile News and this project with MobileScope is for us, at AFP, an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the value of our multilingual and multimedia mobile content, on a worldwide basis. The mobile phone could soon become the number one media for News, and this new paradigm is an extra motivation for the AFP to support, together with MobileSope, innovative mobile applications and new business models.”

“The early feedback received by MobileInstantNews, brought to the market jointly with the AFP, demonstrates the strength of our value proposition to the mobile industry and to mobile users. Together with the AFP, we are helping mobile operators, handset manufacturers and media take advantage of the massive interest for mobile news, with innovative solutions to easily access, personalize and share instant News, and also discover other mobile content and services” said Francois Clemenceau , vice president, Sales and Business Development at MobileScope. “We are delighted to have a world-class partner like the AFP playing such a key role in the project.”

The MobileInstantNews Solution – initially proposed in English and French – can be made available on several languages and on a wide variety of mobile handsets.

For more information about MobileInstantNews, please go to http://www.MobileInstantNews.com.

About Agence France-Presse (AFP)

AFP is a global news agency, delivering fast, accurate, in-depth coverage of the events shaping our world from wars and conflicts to politics, sports, entertainment and the latest breakthroughs in health, science and technology. With 2,900 staff and stringers spread across 165 countries, AFP covers the world 24 hours a day in six languages, delivering the news in video, text, photographs, multimedia and graphics.

For more information about AFP, please go to http://www.afp.com

About MobileScope

Providing innovative On-Device Portal (ODP) solutions and applications, Mobilescope has been helping mobile operators, handset manufacturers and media, to leverage their mobile content and services since 2002. Portal Booster – MobileScope ODP applications and technologies – delivers an integrated and more intuitive access to mobile content, information and services, contributing to a stronger user acceptance, longer customer life-time value and an increased data ARPU. Our ODP applications and service platforms are recognized for their flexibility and unique personalisation, community and advertising features, and have generated more than 212 million SMS interaction, 27 million downloads from 20 million end-users in 42 countries.

MobileScope customers and partners include AFP, China Mobile, Esmertec, FT Group, Gemalto, LGE, Motorola, Orange, Sony Ericsson, Sagem Mobiles and Samsung.

For more information about MobileScope, please go to http://www.mobilescope.com.