Virgin Mobile USA and buzzd have partnered to bring buzzd's interactive, real-time service to all Virgin Mobile USA handsets via the no-annual contract carrier's WAP deck.

The companies are also partnering to provide Virgin Mobile USA customers with a mobile-enabled location-sensitive city guide and social network. The new buzzd on Virgin Mobile service allows local entertainment information to be broadcast and shared among Virgin Mobile USA customers based on their location.

"We're constantly looking for ways to energize youth and feed their addiction to texting and social networking, and adding this location-based service takes our offerings up a notch," said Ron Faris, director of brand development and partnerships for Virgin Mobile USA, Warren, NJ.

"Buzzd has created a compelling application that lets pockets of people give word-of-mouth recommendations and updates saying where they're hanging out," he said.

"It's important, because it lets our youth customers connect in ways they haven't been able to before. Buzzd is helping us take features our customers want and make them more contextual and relevant."

Accessible on all Virgin Mobile USA devices, buzzd on Virgin Mobile delivers editorially driven event and venue information and up-to-the-minute reviews and ratings from friends and other members of the community.

The mobile entertainment service is powered by buzzd. It currently lists events, bars, clubs, restaurants and other entertainment venues across all major cities in the United States, Europe and India.

The service also lets its subscribers find, connect with and reach out to friends with SMS and instant messaging features.

Consumers can also browse and search continuously updated event feeds, which include pricing, location and event details, as well as firsthand ratings and reviews posted from the event by other members directly via the mobile platform.

Events and venues are aggregated first through multiple content partnerships such as Flavorpill, Time Out and Zagat. User-generated feedback for real-time activity about venues and events is also layered at the top of event listings throughout the platform.

The buzzd on Virgin Mobile service is free to customers. It will operate on an ad-supported model, although the carrier would not list specific advertisers at press time.

The carrier launched the buzzd service Aug. 9 in conjunction with the Virgin Mobile Festival.

For now, buzzd on Virgin Mobile is a standalone service, although once the Virgin Mobile-Helio merger is completed, the carrier expects to integrate it with other applications that take advantage of GPS.

One of the key features of buzzd is the ability to find real-time activity across any event nationwide, including the rating of specific events and what the scene is actually like at the particular location.

The buzzd portal now appears on Virgin Mobile USA's deck for customers to find out "what's going on around me right now?"

Consumers can register for the service immediately by clicking the buzzd link from Virgin XL or by texting keyword "join" to short code 96321. Standard text and data rates apply.

Virgin Mobile USA's handsets, including the Wild Card, Slash and Flare, are available at approximately 40,000 top retailers nationwide and online at with Top-Up cards available at more than 140,000 locations.

The no-contract carrier lets customers earn free minutes in exchange for viewing advertising content online through the Sugar Mama program.

"We're looking to apply buzzd in unique ways by launching the service in specific localized areas, such as the Virgin Mobile Festival," Mr. Faris said. "It's a compelling way to see how people interact with each other via mobile.

"Location-based services are definitely a priority for us," he said. "They're more in the foreground compared to before, and we see buzzd being a big player in that space going forward.

"We're really excited to be working with buzzd, and this partnership will help our users to embrace the nightlife and rally our base around mobile social networking."