MWC 2012

Spanish telco - and O2 owner - Telefonica has taken aim at folk with a single mobile for both business and pleasure with the launch of a cloud-based service that lets them flip the phones between these two roles at will.

The service, called Dual Persona, uses the cloud to run a virtual business phone, accessed through the handset, which holds the user's personal information, music and such.

Dual Persona makes use of mobile virtualisation tech from VMware and finds its roots in a strategic partnership the two companies announced last year.

Users can switch between the two modes at a push of a button. The 'business phone' can be managed remotely and is safe, the firms claim, from whatever users do with their handset's personal space.

The pitch for business: full control over the work phone while still allowing employees to install and run their own apps and such, something workers are increasingly keen to do.

As this is all done through the cloud, the service is a doddle to install, the company said.

Dual Persona will initially be available on Android devices, with the Samsung Galaxy S II the first handset set to be deployed. The service rolls out in Spain during Q2 2012, with the UK to follow. ®