Nokia has at last found a major UK operator to take its Comes With Music (CWM) service following the decision by Orange UK to sign an exclusive contract with the handset manufacturer. Orange said it would use the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic handset to offer a 2-year (as opposed to Nokia's usual 1-year offering) contract for subscribers wanting access to CWM.
This move by Orange--having previously resisted marketing services from Nokia--might kick-start the CWM service which is thought to have attracted around 20,000 UK users since it was launched by Nokia last autumn with Carphone Warehouse. The lack of uptake was blamed on the difficulties consumers experienced understanding the DRM restrictions and what ownership they had to the music tracks.
Having initially used heavyweight advertising to promote CWM, rival operators will watch closely to understand if the popularity of the Nokia service can be boosted by the support of a major operator using the 5800 XpressMusic handset. Last month, Nokia's CEO, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, claimed the 5800 Xpress Music combined with CWM had been a "big success story" for the handset maker in the countriesin which the device has been launched, helping it ship 2.6 million units in Q1.
For more on this story:
Mobile Entertainment and Engadget
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