Software company BEDD has seized on the city state's concerns over falling birthrates and its obsession with mobile phones and launched a mobile-phone matchmaking service, also called BEDD. Subscribers simply download the software to their wireless-Bluetooth phones, key in some personal details, such as who they are and the kind of person they'd like to meet. And when a potential partner is in the vicinity the phone alerts them.

The service can seek out other users within a 20-metre range. It ranks them on a scale of one to five in terms of compatibility. After viewing the profile, the user must decide whether to take the next step--usually sending a text message.

BEDD chief executive Stephen Carlton claims that this way of socializing spares users "the ordeal of a face-to-face introduction. You don't actually having to walk up and talk to them until you're feeling comfortable."

Carlton, a Singapore-based futures trader, formed BEDD three years ago with Swedish engineer Olle Bliding after recognizing the potential use for mobile phones in dating. They invested $5 million developing the software. After Singapore, BEDD is planning to launch in Jakarta, where the number of Bluetooth-compatible phones is growing.

There are other mobile-phone dating services in Asia: Singapore Telecom's MyCupid and Bharti Airtel of India's TrackUrMate, for example. But BEDD is different from these because it uses Bluetooth phone-to-phone transmission, and not a central database. Service providers in the United States and Europe are also catching on to using Bluetooth's short-range radio signals for dating services.

In Japan, meanwhile, so-called "proximity dating"--which relies on the relative location of would-be couples and wireless technology to bring singles together--has taken off. Japanese service providers such as ImaHima use global positioning systems to help like-minded users locate one another.

While BEDD's software idea is great, the weakness is in the hardware requirements, says Ruben Tan, senior analyst at research company IDC. The service is currently available only to owners of Nokia's Series 60 handsets. This limited compatibility means users are scarce.

"The consumer uptake for Bluetooth has not been as high as vendors had hoped," says Tan. "BEDD may be one of the applications that can drive Bluetooth demand but its success will depend on whether it can get critical mass."

Besides more traditional dating services, BEDD will also compete with other social-networking platforms, such as the Friendster or Orkut Web sites that help connect strangers with common interests, Tan adds.

Carlton acknowledges that the software's limited platform is a drawback in attracting new users. But he says BEDD is developing a Java-compatible version, which would be suitable for use on more phones.

For now, he is focused on growing subscriber numbers within the estimated 40,000 people in Singapore with compatible handsets. The relatively low cost of service subscription--98 Singapore cents per month (57 U.S. cents)--should help. Since its May launch, 1500 users have signed up, a handful of whom get together every Saturday at a downtown café.

So far, first-time users are blowing hot and cold. At a recent BEDD party, many said they found the software user-friendly, but few of the professional singles in the wine bar on Singapore's trendy Mohamed Sultan Road had paired off by the evening's end.

"I'm a bit dubious whether this will help me meet people," said Kim Ng, a 28-year-old customer relations manager.

Her experience that night showed that fancy wireless technology was still no match for old-fashioned bashfulness--after a brief introduction, her BEDD "ideal match" slunk back to his corner of the room.

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