London - Reuters, the global information and news group, and Vodafone, the UK's most popular mobile phone network, have signed a partnership agreement to enable Vodafone's subscribers to receive a personalised news and information service from Reuters.
Vodafone customers can personalise the type of news and financial information they would like to receive via an easy-to-use web site. Users simply select news categories such as business, company, sports and general news as well as financial information and price alerts covering stocks, world indices and foreign exchange rates. Stories or prices, which correspond to the chosen categories or keywords, are then sent to the user's phone either at pre-selected times, or whenever a relevant news item or price is published.
Initially the service is available to Reuters corporate and financial customers. However, by the end of the year the service will be available to any Vodafone customer in the UK. It will be extended early next year to customers of selected Vodafone AirTouch networks throughout the world.
The Reuters Wireless Service uses the standard Short Message Service, common to all GSM mobile phones. This service represents the first true `push' information service for mobile phone users in the UK.
Reuters and Vodafone have already signed up a number of customers including Greig Middleton and Merrill Lynch and feedback has been extremely positive. According to Michael Goodman, Director of European and International Equity Sales, Greig Middleton and Co. Ltd., "Reuters new wireless service allows me to keep easily in touch with the markets I follow wherever I am in the world, ensuring I'm constantly kept up to date with what's happening."
Jonathan Baile, Managing Director, Reuters Wireless Services said: "We believe this is a unique tailored service for the wireless market, ensuring that subscribers only receive the news that really matters to them, when they want it. It is important to our customers that they receive fast, reliable and accurate information from a source they can trust and Reuters Wireless Services can provide that service."
"Applications for mobile phones are becoming more sophisticated than ever" added Tony Riley, Sales and Marketing Director, Vodafone Value Added and Data Services. "Information services such as these add even greater value to the customer's handset and make it an intrinsic part of their daily life. The information they want becomes available at the touch of a button, wherever they are."
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