AMP'D International?

Posted Tue, 31 Oct 2006 11:03:21 EST by Ken Hyers

This is interesting.  Besides being an MVNO, AMP’D is becoming a content service provider.  I missed the announcement this past August when AMP’D signed a deal with Telus to make AMP’D content available in Canada à la AMP’D Powered by Telus.  Now AMP’D has struck a deal with KDDI of Japan to make their content available to KDDI subscribers.  Given that both KDDI and AMP’d are BREW carriers porting the content over should be no great hassle, but I wonder how Japanese customers will deal with the English language instructions in the content?  Apparently AMP’D will also develop Japanese content with local developers as well, which might also mean that the content flow might go both ways, with AMP’D bringing some innovative content from the Land of the Rising Sun to the US.  

Despite the failure of Mobile ESPN (and the prospects for Disney Mobile, which I don’t think are so hot), data- and content-centric MVNOs like AMP’D and Helio have a chance to reach customers that mainstream operators don’t appeal to.  I’ve been impressed with the content that both these operators offer and, apparently, Telus and KDDI are impressed with AMP’D content as well.  It’ll be interesting to see how these new ventures go for the carrier.