Kindle in Europe: Amazon close to UK MVNO deal

Paul Rasmussen — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:24:16 -0400

Having seen success in the US for its Kindle ebook, Amazon is now said to be in final negotiations with a UK mobile operator concerning an MVNO launch. The company is looking to complete the MVNO deal in time to have Kindle working on a W-CDMA-based cellular network in time for the build-up to Christmas.

While the European Kindle device will follow the US model of being able to download publications via the PC and Wi-Fi, Amazon wants the Kindle to have 3G W-CDMA connectivity--as is the case in the US except the device has been designed to use CDMA technology.

The company has failed so far to find a UK operator prepared to host the Kindle's Whispernet connections which make the device so unique in the marketplace. This data-only service supports the download of electronic magazines and books to the Kindle device in a manner that is transparent to the user.

Amazon is understood to have outsourced all aspects of manufacturing for the Kindle in the UK to Qualcomm, including securing cellular connectivity with a mobile operator in the UK. Qualcomm already runs the backend for Whispernet in the US, including handling the billing between Amazon and Sprint.

Operators that can be discounted from these discussions are Vodafone--it has launched its own version of the Kindle in Germany, while Orange is working on an ebook in its domestic French market. However, Amazon has rubbished these offerings by mobile operators claiming that publishers need to be very sure of the benefits before becoming involved. The company maintains it has spent over a decade building these relationships.

For more on this story:
Mobile Today and The Register

T-Mobile and Vodafone stall Kindle launch in Germany

Paul Rasmussen — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:04:47 -0400

The launch of Amazon's e-book device, Kindle--which has taken the US market by storm--has been halted in Germany after talks broke down with T-Mobile and Vodafone. Amazon accused the two mobile operators of wanting excessive fees in return for supporting the device--the counter argument being that Amazon was offering too little.

Speculation that T-Mobile is looking to launch its own e-book device might not have helped negotiations.

This failure to reach an agreement in Europe's biggest book market comes after the German publishing industry said it would prevent e-books being sold at lower prices than their paper counterparts. The existing provider of e-book devices in Germany, Sony with its Reader unit, recently called for the book industry to price e-books at a 20 per cent discount to the hardcopy book price. But this again was rebuffed by many publishers insisting on the same price for a book in either form.

The convenience of the Kindle, which only works with an Amazon account, has helped it to its enormous success, whereas Sony's Reader device must be connected to a PC each time a new book or article is requested by the user. This month, Amazon released its third-generation Kindle, the DX, in the US.

For more on this story:
Engadget and Earth Times