O2, mobile operator for the UK, Ireland and Germany, today announced that its O2 Active service is showing strong growth and is being used by more than one million customers - representing half of the compatible base.

O2 Active is, according to O2, driving up usage of a variety of mobile data services such as games, ringtones and surfing the Internet from a mobile handset. The number of WAP/content pages downloaded has increased by some 50% since the launch of O2 Active in July 2003, to 559 million page impressions across the Group in October.

O2 Active is the branded, colour icon menu that offers customers a gateway to a range of mobile data and multimedia services, including text, picture messaging, video, games, and surfing the Internet. It is now available on over 30 handsets and, therefore, to more than 2 million O2 subscribers. With Vodafone's Live! service and other similar carrier-led content services, mobile data solutions are clearly gaining in popularity.

O2 also announced that it is to trial the next phase of O2 Active, powered by SurfKitchen’s SurfKit Mobile platform. It is the first operator to ‘install’ its icon driven menu - O2 Active - onto the handset (rather than being available over a browser). The handset-based menu streamlines personalisation through the selection of ringtones and wallpaper – extremely popular with high value ‘youth’ customers. Updated content is automatically pushed to the customer's handset, enabling them to access the news, sport and entertainment as well as get ringtones and games in a single click.

O2 will be trialling this service with existing customers to tailor it for a commercial launch early in 2004. The trial will run in the UK initially and last for 2 months. O2 is trialling using the latest Symbian handsets, including the Nokia 6600, as well as more established devices such as the Nokia 7650 and 3650.