• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, June 10, 2010

Content delivery network Akamai has agreed to acquire mobile services platform Velocitude. The move is aimed at bolstering Akamai's presence in the mobile market, extending its Web optimization services to handheld devices. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

By adding Velocitude's technology, Akamai said it would be able to dynamically adapt customer Web sites for different devices and screen sizes. Since most sites aren't tailored to cell phones, mobile Web browsing on handsets has often proven a frustrating experience for users. By improving the quality of mobile browsing, Akamai could help expand uptake of the emerging medium.

Almost 73 million U.S. cell subscribers accessed the mobile Web in April, up from 55 million a year ago, according to new comScore data.