AirG, a Vancouver-based mobile social network provider, says it has hit the milestone of 10 million unique users, growing from 7 million users just a few months ago. Unlike social networks like MySpace and Facebook that have mobile services, AirG has no PC-based network, and works exclusively through a mobile phone interface.
This approach has allowed the company to fine tune and build niche social networks around users who don’t spend a lot of time in front of the computer. A popular community is a Spanish-language community called Conexion Latina, which has one million users in North America.
AirG’s service enables chat through text and IM, and the creation and search of photo profiles through mobile Internet access. There are a lot of startups that are pushing mobile social networks, but AirG, which was co-founded by Frederick Ghahramani, Vincent Yen and Bryce Pasechnik in 2000, has been pragmatic and has relied on simple technologies like text messaging. This simple approach (which also increases the lucrative text messaging business) has helped the company get carriers to back its service, and services are commonly branded by each carrier. It has signed up 85 operators including Verizon, Cingular, China Mobile, Vodafone, and Airtel.
Frederick Ghahramani, co-founder of the company, over the course of a lunch earlier this week said AirG had grown to enough users for population-targeted surveys. The company test-ran a survey and polled 30,000 users in 90 minutes. Ghahtamani said it brought in ten times the click through rate of online ads. (Could this be the new model of advertising online?)

Beyond polling the company is looking more into mobile marketing, both targeted ads to its users and enabling brands to create communities for marketing tools. I was thinking that the company might be expanding its business to target media brands and ad-companies because its sick of paying a high revenue cut to the carriers. Though, Ghahramani won’t discuss the financials of the company, he assures us they’re doing well. The company is privately funded.
71 comments so far
7:56 AM PT
like to find a person to love
11:29 PM PT
I went to school with Fred and Vincent. I remember them staying in the lab all night working on the early beginnings of Airg back in 1999.
Airg is an amazing success story. Supported by just the tiniest dose of angel backing several years ago, they have been one of the most successful cash flow stories in the mobile space. If you can get a few minutes of their time they can validate almost any idea in the wireless space with great precision and foresight. Watch Airg carefully in the coming years. I would not be suprised at all if they end up being the first mobile content company to reach the magic $1B/year in revenue. And I also won’t be surprised to learn they got there with zero VC funding.
Airg is the Electronic Arts of the mobile space.
3:55 AM PT
When r yall gonna add cricket to your list of phone companys that have airg chat cuz i used to have cingular then i switched to cricket and now i cant read my messages
12:59 PM PT
Having an screening interview coming on with AirG, I needed to make sure the financial status of the company due to what has happened to me as a selected candidate in poorly financed company. Well, here I googled it and got this page saying $1bill./yr which sounds just a hopeful. I wanted to see the fact and the server is just too busy!
8:42 PM PT
Is there anyway to get airg on my i930
8:42 PM PT
i have t-mobile as my cell phone carrier, and i use your air.g to chat and receive messages. Is there a way to access airg from home computer? If so, how can it be accessed? thank you.
8:46 AM PT
Is there a way to access AirG on the Sidekick iD?
9:08 PM PT
Is there some way that I can go onto AirG on my computer?
11:32 PM PT
I was able to go on airg thru tmobile but now I have a sidekick 3 I can’t find the link to be able to chat there. People send me the link but I still can’t log in. It was thru tzones but sidekick has a bundle package that doesn’t go thru that. Something about sidekicks don’t have >>wap<<…help please
4:43 AM PT
I used 2 have Boost Mobile and now I have T-Mobile I would always get on AirG but now I can’t is it a way I can login through my T-Mobile Sidekick?
12:26 PM PT
Yeah I had boost and loved getting on before it became boost hookt and charged money but now I have a sidekick3 and I wanted to kno if there was a url that I could use to get use airg
11:46 PM PT
I was wondering how I can get onto airg from my tmobile sidekick 3? Is there a link or something you can send me?
11:30 AM PT
Is there anyway to get to air g on my i930??? i havce the same question
8:14 AM PT
Im and another person who is inquiring about AirG on Sidekick3’s! I have a Boost Mobile Cell and i am about 2 get a Sidekick3! On Boost Mobile itz called Boost Hookt! I know itz a different name for T_MObile users and maybe a different Name 4 sidekicks! Is there a AirG in Sidekick3’s where i can log in to the same acount that i have on Boost Hookt? I just want to be cable to talk to the same people on my Bosst Hookt but from my Sidekick3! Any1 w/answers or explanations plz email me @ ancale17@hotmail.com! Thanx to all!
12:52 AM PT
How do I get the same boost hookt from boost mobile onto my sidek!ck?
4:47 AM PT
Is there anyway to read and reply to airg private msgs on the pc?
7:54 PM PT
u can get on by goin 2 msnmobile.airg.ca 4 ur side kick.. just go 2 enter url.. thats wat i do on my razr and my switch back
9:34 PM PT
can you access cool talk from a computer?
9:01 AM PT
I need to know how I can access airg from my sidekick3… Is this possible? If so, how can I get there?
3:12 AM PT
Well I need to know how to get on airg through my t mobile sidekick 3 I was always able to do it on my razr but I don’t know how or where on my sidekick
6:20 PM PT
what if you have the Helio Ocean?? Does anyone know of a way to get there?
1:30 PM PT
u have been using airg cool chat for 9 months now,and now i cant find it in the applications menu-whats up?i just used it last night and now this morning its not there-help!!!!!!
4:46 PM PT
As far as Jen is concerned. you must have had cingular or att. cause i had cingular and cingular dropped airg. but see post above solution
2:14 PM PT
The ads on Airg are very annoying to the users. Its hard to chat in a room with crazy ads popping up. Also the ads have curse words in them but the users are not allowed to say curse words or they get banned from a room. Alot of users have switched to other chat sites because of the ads.
5:53 PM PT
to access cool talk from your pc you simply have to download opera from opera.com then in the browser bar type in msnmobile.airg.ca
11:00 AM PT
hey i just want 2 knw if i can access boost hookt on the internet?
12:45 AM PT
How do I signup for AirG from an 8525?
5:04 AM PT
I had boost hookt and now i need 2 know how to use it from my sidekick 3 ….
6:27 PM PT
I have a sidekick I’d and I have aboost mobile phone and I used to be on boosthook and now I can’t use it on my sidekick can some teel me how to get on my side plz send it to my email address at repnco07@aol.com
11:23 PM PT
Yeah, i really want to be able to get on boost hookt on the internet on my comp too! Hey if any of you wanna talk look me up on cool chat under: x-Angell-x!! K? PEACE!
9:09 AM PT
my web sucks
12:00 PM PT
Free cell chat webs for all phones and providers trickanomic.ca
12:01 PM PT
You people are all a bunch of idiots and need to get a life. stop chatting on you phone hit the gym and get social. LOSERS
7:40 AM PT
How do I get airg on my sidekick lx?
9:30 AM PT
How do I get on airg frm my sidekick email me menu4life@tmail.com
11:36 AM PT
Can u tell me if i can get to airg on ma pc ….. waitn on reply thank you .
9:21 AM PT
I have a sidekick lx how do i get on boost hookt on my phone ( trickanomic.ca and msnmobile.airg.ca dont work on my phone) what other sites can i go on
1:57 PM PT
I WANNA KNOW HOW 2 GET AIRG OR HOOKT WITH A SIDEKICK3..I USED 2 LOG N WITH NEXTEL AND BOOST..PLS LET ME KNOW..
8:20 PM PT
I have been trying to see how to hook up Air-g with my son in Manitoba he told about it and he says he talks to people in Canada and Windsor which I live I cannot find where go to find I have Air-g cad.or and also Air-g.com
If anyone can help me it would be of great help.
Becky
2:31 PM PT
i have a t-mobile blackberry pearl and i have 2 questions.
1.) how can i get airG on my phone without having to “backdoor” a link from another phone company.
2.) how can i get on airG through my computer?
8:22 PM PT
i have a voyager verzion and i would like to know how can i get to the chat airg on my phone or how q i sign in help need ur help? i been search every link of airg but i doesn’t said where should i go to sign in would like to hear from u thank u ;)
9:44 AM PT
HOW DO I GET AIR G ON MY SIDEKICK ID? EMAIL ME @ MISZ.FAYMOUS@TMAIL.COM
10:08 AM PT
I just got a new t-mobile phone and I can’t find the link for air-g can someone help me e-mail me at phoenixdown1337@yahoo.com thanks
12:23 PM PT
use your mobile to access airg.com directly, you should be able to access airg.
12:41 PM PT
How can I get on the users lounges from sprint email me angelsweetlesbi@yahoo.com
11:05 AM PT
im looking hahahahahahaha nothing lol
7:33 PM PT
I DON’T WOULD LIKE 2 KNO HOW 2 GET 2 BOOST MOBILE HOOKT OM MY SIDE KICK IF YOU FIND OUT EMAIL ME IT PLZ CHRISBROWNZWIFEY1@TMAIL.COM
9:43 AM PT
I think its messed up that we cant get on airg through the computer!
12:18 PM PT
Ok I have been to AirG.com looking for the pc version. and it isn’t there! all I can see is the box where you put your country and your mobile number… then agree to terms of service.. and then nothing… all I get is a “use airG on your Mobile” screen… I am so confused… is my pc to old???
10:45 AM PT
what is t-mobiles problem with letting people into user lounges!!! CENSORSHIP!!
10:55 AM PT
opera.com
gets u to airg
4:07 PM PT
Hey ppl I’m try to get the link 4 airg 4 my blackberry ??? Well I know how to get the web link to airg its (link) !!!!!!!
5:50 AM PT
I was on hookt everyday when I had boost I just switched to t-mobile. How do I get it on my sidekick lx?
1:10 AM PT
How go I get this program on a sidekick LX
6:34 PM PT
I Have Been Trying To Get On Airg For Three Days Now With An Error Message I Think My Carrier Wants Me To Use Their Chat But Airg Is Great And Plz Tell Me How To Get On Its Much Easier On Airg
3:49 PM PT
Ok for the past three days I’ve been trying to get on as well and every time I log in to the system I choose one of the options say chat of email and suddenly find myself in someone else’s page able to access all their things. I tried writing airg yesterday but no response so far. Probably wouldn’t have been that upset at the (hopefully) temporary inconvenience but someone is using my name and saying some nasty stuff. Thankfully most of the people I talk to have my cell but still. Anyone else having these issues?
4:00 PM PT
Ok whomever wrote the idea to use opera to get on to airg THANK YOU!!!! I was finally able to go on and change my profile to tell people someone else has been using my account. Now that I know about this way of getting onto the system Im not as worried about how long it takes airg to fix the errors
1:42 PM PT
How, if possible, can i access airg (c lounge) from my computer?
9:20 AM PT
i’ve been trying to get back in on (link) my username is cuetmex213 and it is not letting me please help my number is 3252329585
7:31 PM PT
Hey what’s up ppl I’m trying to find out how I and download airg or cooltalk to my blackberry curve if anyone knows email me Mr_Gismoe007@att.blackberry.net thank u ppl
12:42 AM PT
At this moment, user can not access airg chatting sites from their PC without intalling some add-on headers to their browser pretending the pc as a mobile phone. To do this, you may need some technical background.
If you don’t use your airg account for a few months, your user account will be ereased from the server.
Every phone should be able to access (link) if it has wap service. There is no www in front of airg.com, you are not access a www site when you visiting the chat rooms.
Hope this infomation helps:)
Happy chatting!
3:20 PM PT
i have been using airg since 2003. its an awesome site. i love it. i met my husband on there. and we have been married for 4 years now and expecting our first child =]
4:55 PM PT
well honestly they should just qet airg for a sidekick. blackberry’sz etc.. mii ex has been bugging mi for that last 3 daysz about gettinq on to airg but i cant do to the fact i HAVE A SIDE KICK and i refuse to buy another boost so.. if anyone find a way to get around that.. um yea email mii plz
2:11 PM PT
how can i acess airg from my home computer
1:12 PM PT
how can i acess airg from my home computer
11:11 AM PT
Ok I just got my sidekick 2008 and I was tryin to log onto airg n I cnt find it anywhere does sidekick not do the airg thing ? Can sum1 plz tell how to get bak onto airg my sidekick plz email me at leogurl1801@yahoo.com
7:37 AM PT
i was gettin on airg from my verizon phone an it just stopped workin it says i gotta subscribe try going 2 friends.com
8:00 AM PT
How do u get 2 airg on da sidekick 2008?
2:10 PM PT
i went to airg.com the y send me a link but still i cant go in and see and i try google on my phone to and still the same i have tmobile tm506
5:24 AM PT
my screen name is puertorico i need to access air g from my nextel i930 or home computer can someone help…
3:21 PM PT
How can I get air g on a tmobile g1 phone….help is most needed asap thanks……