Mobile Network E-Books Available By Mid Next Year - Vodafone

E-Books with mobile network connectivity will hit the shelves in Europe by the middle of next year, Mark Ritzmann, Vodafone Group PLC's (VOD) German unit head of new business development and innovation told Dow Jones Newswires Monday.

Vodafone Germany is in talks with device manufacturers like South Korean Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd (005930.SE) and major publishers to create a platform from which customers can download books or papers, Ritzmann said.

E-book readers with mobile connectivity could be a new revenue source for network providers. In the U.S., Sprint Nextel Corp. (S) has a deal with Amazon.com Inc (AMZN) who sell the Kindle E-book reader. Meanwhile, Verizon, jointly owned by Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) and Vodafone, said last month it will jump into the market as the wireless provider for iRex Technologies of the Netherlands. IRex plans to sell an E-reader within the next few months in certain Best Buy stores.

Vodafone Germany doesn't just focus on books as content for mobile readers but on papers as well.

"Using an E-reader for papers is more exciting, as then the device could benefit most from connectivity via a third generation network," Ritzmann said.

-By Archibald Preuschat, Dow Jones Newswires, [phone], [e-mail]

Company Web site: http://www.vodafone.de