Orange is offering its LiveRadio device in the UK, which connects to a home broadband line and enables consumers to listen to up to 4,000 internet radio stations. Recent figures from Rajar showed that about eight million people in Britain listen to internet radio stations at least once a week.
The so-called Wi-Fi radio sets have been available for some time, according to The Guardian newspaper, but LiveRadio gives listeners the chance to buy tracks after hearing them through Orange music store. Tracks bought online are instantly downloaded to both a user's computer and their mobile phone. The radio can also play MP3 music files, but not tracks bought through iTunes, as well as podcasts podcasts.
LiveRadio was launched last year in France and sold over 10,000 in the first few months.