It's been almost 13 months since social networking site MySpace launched its Java application on Cingular Wireless, now AT&T Wireless. The numbers aren't public, but MySpace Mobile is said to be moving along plan.

Jason Ling, head of mobile products and technology at MySpace, is convinced that mobile is the next big medium for social networks. Mobile's pivotal role in communication is a major reason.

"Communication is absolutely the foundation of any social network," Mr. Ling said from Los Angeles. "We want to be able to take MySpace with us in our pocket."

A unit of Fox Interactive Media, MySpace launched a free beta WAP site in the United States in September. It already has a subscription-based on-portal presence with Optus in Australia and Vodafone in Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy and Spain with native-language versions.

"We're following lockstep in how the site launched," Mr. Ling said. "With that being localized, we've seen an uptake in usage. Once you take their local language and their culture, it makes it more user-friendly. A lot of things we have with MySpace Mobile is a crystallized version of MySpace."

MySpace Mobile is a watered-down iteration of the Web site without requiring a new Web address for the mobile phone. Users have access to their profile email, friends list, blog and bulletin -- the core functionalities.

"With the WAP site we've had a kind of streamlined experience," Mr. Ling said. "If you've got more than four steps on a WAP site, you've lost the user. It's not really a service enhancement -- it's an accessibility enhancement.

"It really is a watered-down experience," he said. "Now people don't have to wade through the noise to get to the content that they want. We're kind of knocking the walls down where you're no longer tethered."

As expected, MySpace usage on mobile phones does differ slightly from the Web.

"With a PC you get a more multimedia experience," Mr. Ling said. "Mobile's a communication device. So we're seeing a lot more communication with MySpace Mobile."

The mobile site also has a Mood and Status line that's another differentiator with the Web.

"It sounds dumb," Mr. Ling said, "but that minutia especially in the mobile environment is very important to our users. They're now taking the minutia of their lives and making it relevant. It's short little bursts of micro-content.

"The mobile is merely an extension of the Web site," he said. "What happens on mobile is reflected on the Web site and what happens on the Web site appears on mobile."

MySpace claims 250 million users worldwide, 60 percent of them in the United States. The brand claims to attract 14 percent of all Internet traffic nationwide.

Monetizing that traffic on mobile has been a challenge, however. When first launched, the Java application costs $2.99 a month for Cingular subscribers. But users complained that MySpace was free on the computer-based Web, so why pay for mobile? The fee was dropped.

MySpace Mobile is now serving some banner ads.

"Mobile advertising is still in its infancy," Mr. Ling said. "Are the click-through rates worth the investment of the thousands of dollars? The carriers are starting to come around to an advertising revenue share model."

Going forward, MySpace Mobile is going to incorporate more offerings from its Web counterpart. Expect to see more multimedia content this year.

"If WiMax takes off, you're going to see more audio and video content," Mr. Ling said. "The only thing that's holding it back is 2.5G networks. Verizon is great, but it's only one carrier [with 3G].

"If you can really bring high-speed data networks just in general it will deliver the true Internet faster, loading pages faster," he said. "[Users] want to see their video, rich media. They want to take their PC experience and keep it in their pocket."