Virtual operator Blyk recently announced it was switching its advertising business model from direct-to-consumer to partnership deals with network service providers.

Orange is reported to be the first operator to be entering into such a deal with Blyk, which could be used to offer youth-targeted audiences credit incentives for viewing advertising campaigns on their mobile phones.

Subscribers to the service would be offered £15 worth of calls and text messages in exchange for receiving targeted advertising on their handsets - something Virgin Mobile has already experimented with in the US, so considerable success.

Blyk is no longer taking any new subscribers to its current services as it makes the full transition to network operator partnerships, so it'll be interesting to see whether this initial deal with Orange bears fruit.