The answer is – surprise, surprise – mobile. Two telecoms giants, BT and Orange, this week announced major investments in mobile social networking ventures. BT has acquired Ufindus for £20 million, Rick Wray at The Guardian reports, to build a type of on-the-go yellow pages, replete with consumer recommendations and tips under its BT Exchanges service. Expect to hear more about BT Exchanges this autumn. Orange, meanwhile, will be expanding its Orange World mobile portal to give users access to the likes of Facebook, Bebo and MySpace, reports Mobile Today. While the targets are slightly different, both BT and Orange are trying to achieve the same goal: harness the massive demand for social media networking on-the-go, whether it be to find a highly recommended restaurant or update your social network profile.

It’s no surprise these two announcements come out just hours before Apple is due to begin selling the 3G iPhone, which will create a truly 24/7 connected world for the consumer.