AT&T (NYSE: T) has “quietly agreed” to support a marketing service that will allow mobile phone campaigns to link print ads, billboards and product packaging with digital media, reports Media Post’s Marketing Daily. T-Mobile and Verizon (NYSE: VZ) are apparently interested as well.Consumers with a camera phone can take a photo of any traditional print ad, product package, or logo and send it in via MMS or picture message in return for additional information—in the form of microsites, audio or video clips, or coupons.

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If this service rings a bell, it’s most likely because in recent months a handful of marketing initiatives using Quick Response codes have launched, both in the UK and the US. In Britain, News International has been pushing QR codes hard, saying that they could help print become a more profitable medium and backing them with pull-out supplements in their popular tabloid The Sun. In the US, start ups like RocketBux, ScanBuy, Neoreader, and GoAmerica allow users to take a photo of a QR code—sometimes described as a 2D barcode—and send it in through text message to get back additional information. Google (NSDQ: GOOG), too, is experimenting with print ads and QR codes. In Japan, the codes have been a hit for several years now, printed on everything from passport visas to prawn crackers.

Mobot’s service, however, doesn’t rely on funny looking barcodes, just photos. Consumers won’t have to download any application—with QR codes users must download a reader. The UN did a recent campaign in the UK where consumers were asked to take a photo from a series of print and outdoor ads called “Hear My Story” and MMS it in. They were sent back an audio account of the person’s story. Will this mean that the fledgling QR codes will be superseded by more sophisticated image recognition technology? It will be interesting to see what sort of traction this project gets. Sounds like the “support” that the carriers are agreeing to might just be to allow Mobot to use approved MMS connections—which they need for the service to take off.