In response to subscriber demand for higher quality portal access, O2 has radically redeveloped its homepage and strongly reflects the influence the iPhone has had on the company and its approach to online access.
The new homepage, which was soft-launched some days ago and presently only works with a selection of Sony Ericsson, Motorola and Nokia handsets prior to a wider roll out, has an inbuilt toolbar that is said to greatly improve the customer experience. Subscribers will now be able to personalise their homepage by choosing from a range of services and content from partners such as EA, MySpace, Yell.com, BBC, Google, Yahoo and Facebook.
Users of compatible devices like the newer N-series and Walkman handsets are already being redirected to the new O2 homepage automatically, with other users continuing to be able to access the old Active portal until handset support is widened.
This shift towards providing its customers with a mobile Internet experience much closer to that of the fixed-line may indicate the demise of its Active brand as the company transitions to offering a web-like service.
Alistair Johnston, marketing director of O2 UK, said: "We've learned a lot from our iPhone customers. Customers expect the mobile Internet to be more like the Internet experience at home or the office and that is our objective."
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