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Dubai, Tuesday 31 October 2000
"Arabic-speaking mobile users will be able to retrieve the news from BBCarabic.com The BBC’s mobile information service will bring the world's most respected news provider direct to mobile users around the world, in Arabic," said Hosam Sokkari, Head of BBCarabic.com. "In the Middle East, through SMS or as operators switch on WAP, people will have instant access to up-to-the-minute headlines, and the BBC’s comprehensive news and information feeds in Arabic through their mobiles." BBCarabic.com is the world’s leading 24 hour Arabic online news and information service. The BBC will partner info2cell, the major Middle East mobile information service provider, as a platform provider for its services in the region. The new BBCarabic.com mobile service will bring access to BBC headline news, as well as topical information services focusing on health, medicine, science and technology. Mobile users can configure the service to suit their information needs either using WAP-enabled handsets or by accessing the BBCarabic.com website. Additionally, BBCarabic.com services will be added to info2cell's information service portfolio, bringing the information categories available from info2cell to over 200 in all. "The announcement of the use of BBC content forms the launch pad for info2cell’s Arabic information services. It will see all of the info2cell information categories being available to users in Arabic," said Bashar Dahabra, CEO of info2cell. "We view this capability as key to the growth of mobile services in the Middle East region, and also key to the growth of the regional GSM mobile market." "The BBC is moving quickly to embrace new technologies that widen access to our commitment to news and information provision. The BBC is the world’s biggest broadcast newsgathering operation, recognised for its impartial, reliable news coverage. BBCarabic.com is well established as the most comprehensive Internet news service for or about the Arab world. This partnership with info2cell offers a new platform for people to gain access to BBC news and information," said Sokkari. info2cell has already conducted extensive tests and trials on a variety of mobile handsets, to ensure they fully support Arabic text services, both WAP and SMS. Trials are ongoing. For telephones that do not support Arabic text, a version of the service that uses 'bitmap' graphics to feed Arabic is available. "There are test pages on the info2cell portal that let users test their mobiles for Arabic support," said Dahabra.
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info2cell
and BBCarabic.com today announce they will be co-operating
to provide the world's first Arabic language mobile information
service. In an innovative partnership venture, BBCarabic.com news
and information in Arabic will be brought to mobile users in the
Middle East and around the world, through SMS technology or WAP-enabled
handsets. BBCarabic.com content will form the backbone of info2cell's
Arabic language information services.