UPDATED: O2 to trial GPRS-based music service

 

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By Alun Williams

Posted on 13 Mar 2003 at 12:26

O2 is to trial a new GPRS-based music service. Users will select and store songs, via their handsets, on a proprietary digital music player.

mmO2 describes it as the world's first 'music over mobile' service using existing mobile data networks. It claims there will be turnaround time of around 12 seconds from selecting a preview of a song to actually playing the music.

Partnering mm02 is BMG, which is one of the world's big five music labels. MTV is on-board too.

The way it works is that users will be provided with track listings provided by MTV. These will cover charts for dance music, hip-hop, R&B, and rock, as well as a general top 20. Having listened to a free 30-second clip, a track can be downloaded to the Siemens player - a process that O2 estimates will take around 90 seconds - which can be unclipped from the handset and used as a normal personal music device.

A spokesperson for mm02 told us that charging rates had not yet been decided - these are being trialled, too, but a provisional price of £1.50 per song is likely. The service has obviously got to undercut the cost of CD singles.

The Siemens-manufactured player (pictured) will hold up to 100 tracks. For additional storage, there will be PC connectivity for downloading files or the option of buying more memory cards.

The Microcosm file format is being used, which is optimised for mobile devices, and DRM (digital rights management) comes courtesy of the german compnay SDC. Chaoticom provides the content compression technology.

Underlying the initiative is the concern of operators, such as O2, to generate revenue from new mobile data services.

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,' she added.

A demographic spread of 16-24 year-olds will be testing the service, with three handsets being used: the Siemens S55 and C55 and the Nokia 6310i.

Don't hold your breath for this one, however. A two-month trial of the service will start in May, in the UK and Germany. mm02 expects a commercial service to be up and running before Christmas.