Phorm to launch "consumer service"

 

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By Barry Collins

Posted on 21 May 2009 at 17:11

Phorm looks like it's going it alone with the launch of a "groundbreaking consumer proposition".

The controversial web advertising company has agreements signed with three of Britain's biggest ISPs - BT, Virgin Media and Carphone Warehouse - but has so far failed to achieve a commercial rollout.

BT completed public trials of Phorm last year and said it expected to roll out the service, but has refused to give a firm launch date.

Now it seems Phorm has another trick up its sleeve. The company has invited journalists to the launch of "a new and groundbreaking consumer proposition" at the beginning of June.

Details are incredibly sketchy, but the invite says that Phorm CEO Kent Ertugrul will be on hand to "reveal the innovative technology and outline how it fits into the accelerating reality of a personalised internet."

Phorm was unavailable for comment at the time of publication, although the invite stipulates that "further details of the product are under embargo" until the launch event.

Considering Phorm's current technology is based on deep-packet inspection, it's difficult to see how it could translate into a consumer service, unless Phorm is planning to issue consumers with their own "black boxes" which monitor the traffic passing over their connection.

We'll be there on the 3 June to find out what Phorm's planning.