Ads coming to Orange phones

Orange is planning to roll out advertising on its mobile portal.

The France Telecom owned operator announced it would be deploying a mobile ad network after a pilot earlier this year which saw announcements for brands including Adidas and Xbox put on the Orange portal.

Recent research predicts mobile advertising could generate $11.5bn by 2011.

Many of mobile's larger players are already investigating the potential of advertising, including Vodafone, which plans to offer consumers discounts on their bills in return for accepting ads. O2 is also interested in deploying its own ad network.

Other companies are planning to go even further - Finnish start-up Blyk is preparing to launch a service that will give teens their mobile service for free if they agree to receive advertising. It's thought Blyk will partner with Orange in the UK.