The company’s 200,000 members can continue to use the service until midnight on 26 August, at which time it goes offline.

Going forward Blyk will be licensing its technology to established operators. In the UK it is partnering with Orange, which plans to continue to offer brands the same form of direct communication with young people “but on a far larger scale”.

According to Orange’s Mark Overton, vice president of wholesale, business development and partnerships: “Integrating Blyk’s capabilities into our own will allow Orange customers access to great brand offers, benefits and promotions in a timely fashion which are specifically tailored and relevant to them.”

Since launching in 2007 Blyk has carried out research and pre-tested and post-tested campaigns for brands including Brylcreem, WKD and Lucozade.

It operates in the Netherlands through a partnership with Vodafone, with Blyk responsible for advertising sales and technology.