Tata Indicom, the consumer telephony service of Tata Teleservices, today launched mobile internet radio offering live streaming radio-casts in English, Hindi, Telegu, Tamil and other international languages with MP3 quality sound.

Called Cell Radio Links, the BREW application from the US-based Locate-It Info Inc, offers a bouquet of 41 choicest and globally renowned International and local Radio Stations to showcase the best of Internet Radio, making it possible for Tata Indicom users to enjoy a differentiated radio service on their phones.

The new service is initially being made available on Motorazr V3C, Samsung Wideo and Motorola World Phone and carries a subscription charge of Rs25 for 15 days across all Tata Indicom circles, including those markets where FM services haven't commenced.

"The launch of 'Tata Indicom mobile Internet Radio' marks another important milestone in our series of firsts. We believe that our subscribers will be very excited to be able to enjoy Indian and International music and listen to news anytime, anywhere while on the move; all at their fingertips with 'Tata Indicom mobile Internet Radio'," said Pankaj Sethi, president of value added services, Tata Teleservices.

"This innovative product is easy and fun to use and in fact the wireless technology doesn't even get in the way of a stellar musical experience," he added.

India has over 160 million mobile phone consumers and over six million new subscriptions are added each month, which means that one in five Indians will own a phone by the end of 2007. Clearly, mobile entertainment promises to be a new avenue for growth. "We have identified mobile entertainment as a key growth driver and we are confident that this service will help deliver — an amazing radio experience to our customers," he added.

'Tata Indicom Mobile Internet Radio' leverages the superior CDMA 1X technology and harnesses the rich application experience of BREW to deliver a rich streaming experience, making it the most comprehensive radio service of its kind ever offered by an Indian wireless carrier.

The service brings together some of the finest International music, news and sports radio stations, including Bloomberg, BBC, CNN, Fox Radio, ESPN Radio and Seattle WM.

Although the ability to listen to radio on the cell phone is not new, the uniqueness of 'Tata Indicom Mobile Internet Radio' lies in the easy access to the widest selection of radio content in the universally recognisable MP3 format. "Tata Indicom realises that simply offering radio on the handset is not

enough. A true mobile radio solution is designed to make it easy and intuitive for customers to experience the rich variety of music and news content available on the handset," said Mr Sethi.

Private sector telecom service provider, Tata Teleservices, offers integrated telecom solutions to its customers under the Tata Indicom brand, and uses the latest CDMA 3G1X technology for its wireless network.

Tata Teleservices operates in 3400 towns across 20 circles ie, Andhra Pradesh, Chennai, Gujarat, Karnataka, New Delhi, Maharashtra (including Goa), Mumbai, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Bihar, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh (E), Uttar Pradesh (W), Kolkata, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. The company has a customer base of over 17.1 million.