ZURICH/PRNewswire/ -- Myriad Group AG (SIX: MYRN), a global leader in mobile technology having shipped over 3.8 billion software applications on more than 2.2 billion phones, today announced that it is partnering with Vodafone Essar Ltd., one of India's leading telecommunications services providers, to deliver social networking and messaging services over SMS and USSD to its subscribers across India.

"Adoption of social networking on mobile devices across India is growing exponentially. In order to keep pace with market demands, our partnership with Myriad will enable us to quickly and seamlessly deliver social networking services on a massive scale across our entire subscriber base using SMS and USSD," said Kumar Ramanathan, CMO, Vodafone Essar.

As part of the agreement, Vodafone Essar will leverage Myriad's flagship mobile social networking platform, Xumii. With Xumii, Vodafone Essar will be able to seamlessly deploy social networking services on a massive scale, making mobile social networking accessible over USSD and SMS.

Vodafone Essar will be deploying the recently launched Myriad Updates, a first-of-its-kind text-based mobile social networking service accessible on low-end phones, without requiring users to have a data plan. Myriad Updates leverages Myriad's leading mobile social networking platform and Self-Care systems to power services for Tier 1 operators around the world.

Furthermore, Vodafone Essar will be rolling out Myriad's complete portfolio of mobile messaging services, including SMS, instant messaging and mobile email. Rich in features such as viewing multiple messaging channels simultaneously in the same thread, Myriad's cutting-edge messaging solution enables mobile operators to easily deploy and integrate messaging services with a minimal investment.

"Along with our important relationship with Telefonica in LATAM, our partnership with Vodafone Essar is further proof of Myriad's unique and compelling portfolio for emerging markets," said Simon Wilkinson, CEO of Myriad. "Not only does this agreement reinforce our leadership in mobile messaging and mobile social networking, it also extends our footprint in what is an exciting and fast-growing sector."

About Vodafone Essar

Vodafone Essar is a member of the Vodafone Group and commenced operations in 1994 when its predecessor Hutchison Telecom acquired the cellular license for Mumbai. The company now has operations across the country with over 143 million customers. Vodafone Essar has been awarded the "Best Mobile Service Provider 2011" at the Aegis Graham Bell Awards 2011. Also, in a survey conducted by India's leading business weekly, Vodafone Essar was awarded 'Most Respected Company' in the Telecom Sector for 2010 and the 'Most Trusted Service Brand' in India for 2010, by a leading financial daily.  Vodafone India, in line with its group philosophy has released the Corporate Sustainability Report for India -- Footprints 2010-11. To view the online version of the report, please visit www.vodafone.in

Vodafone is one of the world's largest mobile communications companies by revenue with over 370 million customers in its controlled and jointly controlled markets as at June 30, 2011. Vodafone currently has equity interests in over 30 countries across five continents and more than 40 partner networks worldwide. For more information, please visit www.vodafone.com

About Myriad Group

Myriad Group AG is a global leader in mobile technology and has shipped over 3.8 billion software applications in more than 2.2 billion mobile phones. Its comprehensive portfolio includes browsers, messaging, Java, social networking, user interfaces and middleware for all types of mobile phones, from ultra-low cost handsets to advanced smartphones.

The company provides both individual components and complete solutions, which enable handset manufacturers and operators to deliver amazing experiences on mobile phones. Myriad also develops USSD-based customer self-care platforms that deliver over 10 billion messages a year to 220 million mobile users across more than 35 mobile operators worldwide.

Myriad was created from the combination of industry leading companies, Esmertec and Purple Labs. It operates worldwide, with offices in Switzerland, France, UK, USA, Mexico, China, South Korea, Taiwan,Japan and Australia. Headquartered in Zurich Switzerland, Myriad is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX Symbol: MYRN).

For more information please visit our website: www.myriadgroup.com. You can also follow us on twitter@MyriadGroup and view our YouTube Channel YouTube.com/myriadgroupmarketing

SOURCE Myriad Group AG