Ad-funded free MVNO Blyk reports that it has 100,000 clients in Britain after being operational for six months—that’s half a year ahead of schedule. Blyk said the ad campaigns “had generated average response rates of 29 percent, compared with the usual response rates in advertising of just a few percentage points” reports Reuters. The 29 percent figure was given in January, when Blyk denied allegations that its customers were turning off the message function to avoid receiving ads. Blyk plans to open in other European countries, starting with the Netherlands. I’m not sure 100K customers is a “mass audience”, but Blyk targets the desirable 16-to-24 year old age group and touts the ability to engage with the people.

• Blyk Gets New Funding Round, Expanding To Netherlands
• Ad-Funded Blyk Denies Users Are Shutting Off Ads
• Blyk Claims Up To 43 Percent Click-Through On First Mobile Ads