Vodafone is counting on a series of deals to drive its UK customers to use their mobile phones for more than just talking.

People who use the mobile operator's services  will soon be able to access clips and videos on various networking sites and bid on eBay using their mobile phones.

The deal with YouTube social networking site allows people to download clips, view a selection of updated daily videos and forward their favourite links to friends, directly from their phones.

Another deal has been struck with MySpace to allow people who use this social networking site to edit their MySpace profiles, find and add friends, post blogs and send and receive MySpace messages through their handsets.

A deal with eBay lets customers sign in to the auction site in order to browse, bid or keep an eye on items they are bidding for.

All three services will be available via the Vodafone Live! Portal and will be available later on this year. Prices are yet to be announced.