Smile Interactive to launch mobile portal, Phirki

The group will be launching a general-interest mobile portal in the next two months, including a mobile social networking service

The Smile Interactive Technologies group will be launching a mobile portal in the next two months. The group has created a new company, Infokarma, and will launch a general-interest mobile portal under the domain, Phirki.mobi.

Mahendra Swarup, chief mentor of Smile Interactive Technologies, says that the portal will have entertainment, news and search elements, similar to online portals. Apart from this, the company is planning a mobile social networking service, which will be SMS-based. It also plans to add m-commerce services on the portal, which will be operator-neutral and accessible on any GPRS or web-enabled phone, whether CDMA or GSM.

Hemant Kohli has been appointed CEO of Infokarma; he is also promoting the company. Kohli was previously the CEO of telecom company, IT&T and has 13 years of experience in the IT industry. Swarup will be the chairman of the new venture.

Swarup also said that the group is “incubating” five to six independent companies in the social networking, mobile advertising and mobile VAS delivery space. Smile Interactive has an incubation programme which provides financial, technological and infrastructure support to promising start-up companies and entrepreneurs.

The Smile Interactive Technologies group owns interactive agency Quasar Media, technology company- Studio Smile, online ad network Tyroo and travel search engine Zoomtra.