US firm Bubble Motion has launched a new mobile voice blogging service called Bubbly, which claims to be a voice-based Twitter for handsets.

Users add voice messages to the service by dialling a shortcode then speaking. People can also follow users on the service, much like they would on Twitter, getting SMS alerts when there's a new voice-blog to listen to.

Bubbly is launching first in India, where Bubble Motion has signed up various celebrities to get the service off to a running start. Bubbly's beta has already signed up 150,000 users there.

Bubble Motion is rolling the service out elsewhere via partnerships with mobile operators, who it'll work with on the recording and storage of voice messages, as well as SMS notifications and billing.

"The launch of Bubbly delivers a new, exciting way for people to connect socially on mobile phones with the power of voice," says president and CEO Tom Clayton.

"Already we are seeing people adopt Bubbly as a simple and innovative way to communicate. Bubbly stands to dramatically change how people interact with their friends and family, while staying current with what’s happening in their local community and around the world."

Bubbly is an extension of Bubble Motion's existing BubbleTalk voice messaging service. It's expected to launch in Europe and the Middle East this year, following the Indian rollout.