Toledoan Rings in Early With Own Cell Company

May 24, 01:48 PM

Current Headlines: By Gary T. Pakulski, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio

May 24--Toledo college instructor Rodney Farthing doesn't expect to get rich on his new cellular phone company, Farthing Mobile.

"Eventually, I hope to make enough to cover my own cell-phone bill," he said.

Mr. Farthing, 49, is among the first people to sign up with Sonopia Corp., a Silicon Valley start-up that allows individuals and organizations like the National Wildlife Federation to form their own cell-phone networks.

Networks receive between 3 and 8 percent of revenues from each subscriber they recruit, along with the ability to communicate with members instantly on subjects of common interest like yoga, the Long Island Ducks minor-league baseball team, and presidential nomination candidate Hillary Clinton.

Sonopia won't say how many individual customers it has. But about 1,000 networks have formed since the company was launched publicly last month in Menlo Park, Calif.

Each network is known as a "Sonopia," a word made up by senior managers because it sounded good, was available for a Web address, and worked in multiple languages, the spokesman said.

"It's taken off a lot faster than we anticipated," said spokesman Michelle Cox. "In the first week, there were already 400 Sonopias created. We anticipated 40 or 50."

The firm buys air time from Verizon Communications. Sonopia's most popular program is $40 a month and provides 450 free minutes. Enrollees can buy 200 text messages a month for an additional $5.

Sonopia is financed by respected venture-capital players Cardinal Venture Capital, Sevin Rosen Funds, and Com Ventures. They agreed to kick in an additional $13 million this month.

Mr. Farthing, who teaches business classes at for-profit Stautzenberger College when he is not working as a mortgage loan officer, signed on with Sonopia April 3, moments after learning about the firm. It was 2:30 a.m.

He formed his network in minutes at no cost, he said.

The theme of his network is technology, and he has involved his students in Stautzenberger in the project. As network administrator, Mr. Farthing sends text messages and graphic images on the topic to members' cell phones.

The information is also posted on the network's individualized Web sites, which are set up for all networks as part of the Sonopia plan.

So far, Mr. Farthing has signed up himself and two family members. Seven others have joined for free access to the network's Internet site.

Part of the reason that business is slow is that prospective clients are locked into cellular contracts. Membership will pick up as those contracts expire, Mr. Farthing said. But he doesn't anticipate more than a few dozen customers at most.

Other groups include Mums In Business (10 members), Peterman Mobile (seven members, "for cat enthusiasts everywhere to share their common bond -- a love of our friendly felines"), and Bitta Irish Phone (six members, for people "who have or would like to be in touch with their Irish side").

There are also rival groups supporting the presidential campaigns of Mrs. Clinton and Barack Obama.

Sonopia's spokesman said the firm expects a mix of entrepreneurs, bloggers, alumni associations, charitable organizations, and lobbying groups.

Along with the fund-raising potential of the service, Sonopia offers an easy way for groups to reach members. Conservationists, for example, might send a cell-phone alert to members asking them to write their congressmen about unfavorable legislation.

At the same time, the group could ask for a $10 contribution that would be added to the subscriber's next phone bill.

Sonopia officials concede that not all networks will thrive. "Some of these groups will be wildly successful and some will fall by the wayside," said the spokesman, Ms. Cox.

Contact Gary Pakulski at: gpakulski@theblade.com or 419-724-6082.

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio

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