Sony Ericsson will launch a mobile phone service with unlimited music downloads within weeks, the company said on Tuesday, as it looks to take on Nokia.
Sony Ericsson's Play Now Plus, which will be available solely through telecoms operators, will provide subscribers access to millions of songs, and users can keep up to 300 songs after their 6-18 month contracts end.
The service is due to launch commercially with operator Telenor in Sweden in the fourth quarter of this year, with further roll-outs around the world beginning in 2009.
A special edition of the Sony Ericsson W902 Walkman phone including the PlayNow plus service will be the first phone to be launched. Sony Ericsson will include, as part of the service, 1000 of the recent most popular digital songs, with each Sony Ericsson W902 Walkman with PlayNow plus for Telenor in Sweden. Pre-loaded music offers are also planned for subsequent PlayNow plus-enabled phones.
Users of Nokia's Music service, which will begin on October 17 in Britain, can download and keep unlimited amounts of music for a year. The service is expected to cost up to £70 extra on top of the phone price.
The Play Now Plus service will cost 99 Swedish crowns a month.
Cellphone makers are seeking additional revenues from outside the maturing handset business, where price battles are getting tougher and consumer demand is slowing.
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