Vodafone Group Plc (NYSE:VOD) is currently in the Beta testing phase of a new Facebook application that they are calling Vodafone Connect to Friends.  This application enables Facebook members to send text messages and pictures to mobile phones.  The application currently only works for those in the U.K.  Below is a screenshot of the application:

Sending a text message takes up 1 credit and a photo MMS takes up 3 credits.  Credits expire after 30 days.  Below are the prices of the Vodafone credits:

The application does not connect profile pages so if you want to install the application and monitor your credits, it is best to bookmark the site.  What I would like to see is American telecomm companies embracing social media.  I’m sure Verizon, Sprint, or AT&T can create something fancy around Facebook.

Amobee Media Systems, a mobile advertising company has raised $22 million.  The $22 million round was led by Motorola Inc. (NYSE:MOT) and Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO).  Amobee raised a total of $52 million thus far.  Previous investors in Amobee includes Telefonica, Accel Partners, Vodafone, Sequoia Capital, and Globespan.

Amobee’s goal is to help fund telecommunication companies through advertising.  Vodafone Spain is using Amobee to insert advertisements into Vodafone’s mobile site. 

“We have built the first and only telco- grade ad-serving solution specifically designed to address the unique needs and requirements of the mobile operator across multiple channels and services,” states Amobee’s Operators page.

Amobee was founded in 2005 and launched in Feb. 2006.  Amobee’s headquarters are in Redwood City, Calif. and has research and development based in Herzliya, Israel.  Amobee is lead by CEO Zohar Levkovitz.

Related Links:
1. Amobee.com
2. alarm:clock

Yahoo! and Vodafone have officially signed an agreement that gives Yahoo! an edge of the UK mobile market for advertising. Vodafone is a telecommunication group that spans across 27 countries, has 33 network partners, and a customer base of 186.8 million as of June 2006. Yahoo! will be the exclusive advertisement provider for Vodafone networks. This initiative will be rolled out in early 2007.

Customers will have the option to have these advertisements displayed and if they agree, they may reap the benefits of Vodafone service discounts. “Since we announced our intention to develop revenue from mobile advertising as part of our mobile plus strategy unveiled in May, we have carried out extensive customer trials,” stated Nick Read, a chief executive of Vodafone UK. “We will now use the experience to determine with Yahoo! how best to ensure customers, who choose to receive targeted messages, get better value as well as a richer mobile experience. This will also ensure that advertisers are given a compelling proposition.”

Partnering with Vodafone gives Yahoo! a strong competitive over other wireless advertisement competitors, Google and Microsoft. There definetely seems to be an intensity of rivalry between these three companies in seizing continental markets. I wonder which of the three will establish a strong presence the Asian, African, South American, and Australian continents.