“It’s the next generation of the mobile Internet,” says mobile pioneer Nihal Mehta, in a recent article published in the Chicago-based Advertising Age magazine (www.adage.com).

Mehtawho was named an M-Commerce Baron by Newsweek in 2006, and the founder of ipsh!, one of the first full-service mobile marketing agencies is referring to his new local-search/networking service, BuzzD.

BuzzD (www.BuzzD.com) is an innovative mobile local-search service, providing real-time information on bars, clubs and restaurants on mobile devices. Faithful to their tagline (“Your city, in real-time”), BuzzD allows consumers to know what’s happening at any venue in any given time. They may also rate events and drinks, as well as connect with friends and peers from their area.

BuzzD was launched a few weeks ago in partnership with Flavorpill (a website that lists cultural events in major cities) and leading city and travel guide publisher Time Out (www.timeout.com). Flavorpill Mobile will initially be available in six cities: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami and London.

Although there are plans to make BuzzD available on all major carriers, Helio is expected to be the first carrier of the new service. According to Mehta, BuzzD works without information about a user’s location but eventually will add a GPS.

While there is evidence that popular location-based services, such as mapping applications, are generating good revenue for carriers, it’s still unclear whether location-based mobile social networks will do the same, wrote Advertising Age reporter Alice Cuneo in the article.

The Walt Disney Co. shut down its branded phone that allowed parents to locate their children. Boost Mobile said 171,402 subscribers use its Loopt service, which allows young adults to locate friends. Sprint Nextel Corp., provider of the network for the Disney and Boost Mobile phones, has a similar location service, but a spokesman said Sprint Nextel does not share information about the number of subscribers using that service.

Although the service is promising, there already have been some doubts over it’s perceived functionality in a nocturnal or after-hours setting.

“If I’m having a bad time, I might take the time (to write a review or critique the scene), but if I’m having a good time, probably not, said Roger Entner, senior VP of the communications sector for IAG Research. That sounds like serious work at a time when I’m having fun.”

But according to the BuzzD founder, the concept has already proven itself with Dodgeball, another mobile social network offering similar services. “If you’re having a good time, he says, you want to connect with your friends.