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Airtel in WAP software tie-up with phone.com

Delhi's cellular service provider Airtel said that it had tied up with a leading provider of wireless application protocol software, to improve Internet access on its mobile phone service.

Airtel chief executive officer Sanjay Kapoor told a news conference that his company's alliance with US-based Phone.com will allow personalised mobile Internet services and real-time information access.

"The enhanced WAP service would be available in six to eight weeks in Delhi and allow Airtel to offer e-mail, news, stocks, weather, travel and sports information on mobile phones," Kapoor said.

Airtel, owned by Bharti Cellular Limited, is one of two cellular service providers in Delhi. It has the largest subscriber base in India and currently offers 58 messaging services on its mobile network.

Phone.com's WAP-based infrastructure, which is used by 60 carriers worldwide, is compatible with over 95 per cent of mobile handsets and supports quality mobile Internet access.

Airtel has already spent $1 million on the service and is creating a mobile portal with the help of over 40 local content providers.

"There has been a 15-per cent increase in talk time with the availability of WAP services elsewhere in the world," Kapoor noted, adding that he hoped Airtel would enjoy the same experience.

Revenues are also projected from hosting e-commerce services and advertising.

An Airtel presentation said that Internet access through mobile phones is projected to overtake access through computers by 2004. Worldwide purchases over the Internet are expected to equal $900 billion by then.

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