Mumbai: Napster and Ericsson announced the launch of the Napster Mobile music service with leading Chilean operator Entel PCS to provide its services in Latin America for the first time.
Napster Mobile is based on Ericsson’s service delivery platform and will enable Entel PCS subscribers to search, browse, preview and purchase content on their wireless handsets via i-shop, the Entel PCS Mobile Portal.
 
The service features Napster’s catalog of more than four million songs and mastertones, and offers a dual-delivery option for simultaneous downloads to subscribers’ mobile phones and PCs. Hence, the service allows direct downloads to mobile phones, a unique feature, bypassing the PC-download stage to provide greater user convenience.
 
“We are excited to add Latin America to our global footprint, which also includes the North American, Japanese and European markets,” said Napster president Brad Duea. “Through our partnership with Ericsson, we look forward to offering a superior mobile music experience to Entel PCS customers.”
 
Under the agreement, Ericsson has end-to-end responsibility for systems integration, management of the day-to-day operations and development of the service. The agreement also includes content and digital rights management, enabling the operator to launch the service easily and cost efficiently.
 
Entel PCS product and services manager Carlos Rodríguez said, “Once again, we are the first mobile operator of Latin America in launching a world-class service — Napster Mobile. Ericsson’s multimedia solution will help us meet our customers’ growing demand for premium and personalized mobile content.”
 
Ericsson Chile head Gino Montalto added, “This deal will enable access to a range of attractive services for end users and open up new revenue streams for Entel PCS. Our hosted solution allows the operator to remain focused on their core business while launching new services quickly and cost effectively