Al Jazeera content over mobiles

The prominent Arabic language news provider, Al Jazeera.Net, has tied up with Etisalat to offer its content over mobile phones in voice format.

Said to be a first of its kind, the Arabic voice portal service will initially be available in the UAE, and then gradually expanded to other regional markets in the next eight to 12 weeks, according to a top official with Emerging Technologies, the Abu Dhabi based IT firm which provided the technological platform.

The next market to receive the service - which allows subscribers access Web-based information via mobile phone round the clock in speech format - could be Qatar, where Al Jazeera is headquartered.

In the UAE, subscribers can access the service by sending an SMS to the number 2888, and then receiving an SMS confirmation.

The subscriber may then access the Al Jazeera content by dialling 600560001. Currently, the service is provided through Etisalat and hosted out of its Contact Centre in Ajman.

The service will come for a fee of Dh15 for 75 minutes.

In the initial launch period, customers will get a bonus of 25 minutes. Subscribers will also have to pay the call charge to Etisalat for the usage. A subscriber can voice interact through his mobile phone to get breaking news and other such information.

"Al Jazeera is launching this service to provide the most advanced communication technology. The voice portal service is the third generation of Al Jazeera.Net services to the Arab population," said Abdulaziz Al Mahmoud, chief editor of Al Jazeera.Net.

"Currently, we have a subscriber pricing based on per minute usage. In the next 8 to 12 weeks, we would like to convert it to monthly fixed recurring subscription for unlimited number of minutes," said Sassine Mazraani, managing director of Emerging Technologies.

"Also, we could offer the service in the other regional markets by partnering with the local telco."

The promoters are striving to develop a user base of around 150,000 to 175,000 for the service.

An English language speech-enabled service is on the drawing board, and the present content will also be expanded.

The Al Jazeera Web site, launched in January 2001, recorded 161 million visits in 2002.

Moreover, it became one of the 50 most frequently downloaded Websites worldwide during the recent Iraq war.