Bertelsmann unveils plans to offer content via 3G Wap

LONDON (Brand Republic) – German telecoms giant Bertelsmann has revealed plans to offer music, print and television content to consumers’ mobile phones through third-generation Wap technology.

The company is bidding for space on next-generation networks in Germany and wants to expand its services across the continent and into the UK. The networks will not be operational in Germany until 2002.

It is currently in talks with Deutsche Telekom, which bought a UK mobile phone licence earlier this year through its One 2 One subsidiary, about 3G licences.

The plans come just weeks after Bertelsmann entered into merger talks with music giant EMI, which could lead to the formation of the world’s largest music company.

Bertelsmann’s music arm BMG has recently signed a deal with Napster, the internet site which allows consumers to download music from the internet, to develop the website into a secure membership-based service.

This article was first published on brandrepublic.com