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ShoZu Partners with StarHub to Launch First Unlimited-Use ShoZu Access Plan, Unveils New Revenue-Sharing Business Model for Mobile Operators

Leverages Demand for Access to Web 2.0 & Social Media Sites from Mobile Handsets

SAN FRANCISCO, CA–September 12, 2007 – ShoZu Inc., the leading provider of mobile social networking services enabling easy content exchange between mobile phones and social media sites, and StarHub, Singapore’s second largest info-communication company, have partnered to offer the first flat-rate ShoZu access service.  The service entitles StarHub users to unlimited ShoZu usage for a low promotional fixed monthly fee of US$3.50 (S$5.35). 


StarHub subscribers who elect the new ShoZu service can upload any number of photos and video clips from their camera phones to 25 top Web destinations ranging from YouTube, Facebook, Flickr and Kodak EasyShare to Vox and WordPress with a click without paying separately for each file transfer.  This strategy is expected to encourage broad ShoZu adoption by enabling mobile users to interact with their favorite social networking and Web 2.0 sites from the handset without incurring high data charges.


The partnership also marks the debut of a new, first-of-its-kind program that gives carriers the option to use ShoZu’s software on a royalty-free basis in conjunction with a revenue sharing arrangement.  The program is designed to help mobile operators generate maximum incremental revenues by capitalizing on the booming social media movement.


New Business Driver for Carriers

“StarHub is helping us pioneer a new flat-rate data package strategy for mobile social networking that is highly beneficial to both service providers and users,” said Dean Wood, Senior Vice President, Commercial, for ShoZu. “Carriers get a turnkey system with virtually no upfront costs, and consumers get fast and easy mobile access to Web 2.0 and social media sites with predictable data fees.  Users don’t need to worry about being charged for each file they upload each month, and that gives them an incentive to add the package to their monthly mobile service.  Everyone benefits.”


The demand for Mobile 2.0 functionality has been documented by industry analysts.  A report released last month by Juniper Research forecast that mobile operator revenues from user-generated content will soar from $576 million in 2007 to $5.74 billion in 2012, with half of those revenues driven by mobile social networking alone.  The same report predicted that the number of mobile users accessing social networking sites via their phones will skyrocket from 14 million to nearly 600 million over the next five years.  


“The ShoZu service will further enhance our subscribers’ lifestyles by enabling them to connect to their social networks, personal blogs and photo communities from their handsets with one click and an attractive pricing structure,” said Anil Nihalani, Vice President, Mobile Services, StarHub. “StarHub is pleased to partner with ShoZu as they share our vision for bringing innovative mobile services to market quickly and with affordable, simple-to-understand pricing.” 


Key Usability & Deployment Advantages

ShoZu’s mobile social networking service, called Share-It, is the industry’s fastest, easiest and most versatile platform for uploading photos and videos captured on the handset to social networking sites and other online communities.  The platform delivers key benefits for end users and carriers alike, based on proprietary ShoZu technology that enables true one-click uploads as well as an open gateway that currently supports far more Web 2.0 destinations than any other solution to serve the largest number of users.


Benefits for consumers include one-click media transfer that eliminates the complexity of other solutions, a constantly expanding choice of Web destinations that now includes 25 sites as well as any email or FTP address, two-way mobile-to-Web messaging, and support for full-resolution 10MB uploads enabling transfer of 10-minute video clips compared to just 30 seconds for other methods.  Users can also select blog-quality uploads to reduce traditional file size-based data fees when blogging or vlogging, add text and descriptions before or after uploading, and automatically attach location tags when GPS-enabled handsets are used.    


Benefits for carriers include the market’s best user experience, turnkey deployment enabling rapid time to market with minimal upfront investment, and the ability to deliver user-friendly mobile social networking even on 2G data networks.  In addition, ShoZu’s pre-integration with over two dozen well-known Web 2.0 sites and ongoing addition of other destinations maximizes potential market penetration for carriers.  In contrast, carrier partnerships with individual social media sites limit adoption of upload services to a small subset of users.


The ShoZu service is now available on 276 handset models with users in 90 countries, takes place invisibly in the background with no disruption to users’ phone activities, and utilizes a single client installed on the mobile phone.  The ShoZu client can be downloaded to the handset from various websites and is now shipping as a pre-install on a range of new phones from handset manufacturers including Motorola and Samsung.

About ShoZu

ShoZu is the leading provider of mobile social media services that connect mobile consumers with their online social networks, personal blogs, photo storage sites and other Web 2.0 properties from the handset.  The company’s patented technology provides fast, easy, one-click uploads of photos and video clips from the mobile to the Web, full-resolution photo and video delivery without compression, an expanding suite of services that push social media and other content to the phone, the ability to work in the background even if a connection is dropped, and other unique features that simplify and enhance the user experience, plus a mobile advertising strategy that provides non-intrusive and highly targeted ad delivery.  The company was founded in 2000 and has formed partnerships with some of the leading players in the mobile ecosystem, including Motorola and Samsung. For more information, visit www.ShoZu.com/AboutUs.

About StarHub

StarHub, Singapore's second largest info-communication company, offers a full and diverse range of information, communications and entertainment services over its advanced fixed, cable, mobile and Internet platforms. Targeting both consumer and corporate markets, StarHub operates a full two-way 3.5G HSPA mobile network in addition to its GSM network, a nationwide HFC network that delivers multi-channel cable TV services (including Digital Cable and High Definition Television) as well as ultra-high speed residential broadband services, and an extensive fixed business network that provides a wide range of data, voice and wholesale services.  Launched in 2000, StarHub has become one of Singapore's most innovative info-communications providers, and the pioneer in 'hubbing' - the ability to deliver unique integrated and converged services to all its customers. StarHub is listed on the SGX-ST. Visit www.starhub.com for your communications needs.
Some of the statements in this news release which are not historical facts are statements of future expectations with respect to the financial conditions, results of operations and businesses, and related plans and objectives. These forward-looking statements are based on StarHub’s current views, intentions, plans, expectations, assumptions and beliefs about future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside StarHub’s control. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements include known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Because actual results could differ materially from StarHub’s current views, intentions, plans, expectations, assumptions and beliefs about the future, such forward-looking statements are not and should not be construed as a representation, forecast or projection of future performance of StarHub. It should be noted that the actual performance of StarHub may vary significantly from such statements.

For further press information, please contact:

Heather Kelly
S&S Public Relations, Inc.
719-634-8274
Email: heather@sspr.com