Waiting for the newspaper delivery might become a thing of the past if the trial by Orange France proves successful. The company has linked with seven French publications to enable 120 pilot users to download a 'convincing facsimile' of daily newspapers over the 3G mobile network.

What is different about this service, albeit a trial today, is that the 'Read & Go' service will be supported by advertising unlike existing services which are subscription-based. The Kindle, sold by Amazon.com, allows customers to subscribe to e-paper versions of 19 newspapers.

The seven French publications participating in Read & Go include: Le Monde, Le Figaro, Le Parisien and Libération, which is being added to the test this month; a sports daily, L'Équipe; a business newspaper, Les Échos; and a weekly entertainment and culture magazine called Télérama.

If successful, France Télécom said it would plan to introduce the product in other markets, like Britain.

For more on this story:
- go to Editors Weblog [1] and Telegeography [2]

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