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March 2003 - mmO2 announced that it is to trial the
world's first 'music over mobile' service using existing
mobile data (GPRS or 2.5G) networks. The O2 music service
will enable customers to select, retrieve and store
the latest chart hits via their GPRS-enabled mobile
handset onto a specially designed 'digital music player'
- and start listening in around 12 seconds.
The
trials, starting in May in the UK and Germany are expected
to lead to the launch of a commercial service later
this year. mmO2 is partnered by global brand MTV and
the largest music providers in the world, including
BMG, who will provide track listings for new chart releases
as well as pre-releases.
A
customer simply plugs the digital music player into
his/her handset, and selects the 'get new music' option
to view a comprehensive menu of track listings and charts.
During the trial, these charts will be provided by MTV
and include the UK or German top 20, the European top
20, top 10 pre-releases, top 10 dance chart, top 10
Hip-Hop and R&B, top 10 rock, top 10 pop and top 10
chill-out.
The
customer then selects a track and chooses either to
hear a free 30-second clip or purchase the entire track.
In either case, they can begin listening to the music
of their choice in around 12 seconds. The digital music
player offers excellent digital sound, similar to existing
MP3 players.
Once
the track has downloaded - which can take around 90
seconds for a full track - the digital music player
can be unclipped from the mobile handset and used as
a regular personal music device. Up to 100 tracks can
be stored on the memory card for as long as they are
required, and customers may choose to download the music
files to a PC for additional storage. Customers can
also purchase additional memory cards that are removable.
The
trial digital music player, branded O2, is manufactured
by a division of Siemens. Additional technology partners
involved in the trial include Chaoticom (for music file
compression capability and platform aggregation) and
SDC (Secure Digital Container) AG (who provide security
software to protect the music rights of owners and publishers).
Kent
Thexton, chief marketing and data officer of mmO2, said:
"We are leading the world with the O2 music over mobile
trial. Customers researched were very enthusiastic about
the service with 76 per cent of 16-24 year olds expressing
a strong interest. It is also good news for record companies,
who want to find new mass-market sales channels. The
trial gives us the opportunity to listen to our customers
and develop a service that they want; we will also be
testing pricing strategies. We believe that this exciting
application further strengthens our leading mobile data
services portfolio."
SOURCE
MMO2 Press Release Back
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