Unwilling to concede the e-book market to Amazon or Apple, France Telecom (FT) Orange announced that it is co-developing a digital library for tablets and non-proprietary e-readers.
The company confirmed that it is in the process of building a digital content library in co-operation with multiple stakeholders, including the French Library Union and rival operator SFR. The €5 million project is designed to put Orange and its partners in a more competitive position with its two US-based rivals, with users being able to purchase digital books using the operator's billing system.
FT Orange said that the initiative is still i the early stages and stakeholders are meeting, "but it is too early to talk about the launch of a test or a release date," an Orange spokesman told 01net.
David Lacombled, deputy director of FT Orange's content strategy, said that while digital books purchased from Apple may only be read on the iPad, Orange wants to guarantee users that e-books downloaded from this service would still be readable in several years regardless of technical changes or mobile operator, according to a Comtex report.
Those involved with the digital library project can also call upon additional funds made available from the Grand National Loan organisation.
For more
- see this 01net article (translated via Google Translate)
- see this MENAfn.com article
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