Internet news service Mail & Guardian Online has partnered with Internet service provider M-Web to supply news to subscribers` cellphones via SMS.
The service will send daily breaking news headlines to subscribers` cellphones from the Mail & Guardian Online Web site. The service also includes a weekly SMS previewing major news in the Mail & Guardian newspaper, which is sold on Fridays.
Matthew Buckland, editor of the Mail & Guardian Online, says the news service is looking to expand beyond the daily news service and offer SMS services, to include events, gig guides and short movie reviews. It is also investigating multimedia messaging to send out pictures and cartoons "when the market and technology is more mature".
"To some extent, cellphones have succeeded in an area where the Web has found success difficult to come by - the ability for a content publisher to derive revenue from a reader who is interacting purely with content.
"Increasingly, we are seeing the convergence of various content delivery platforms, whether it be Internet, cellphones, print or television, and this venture is just one step down this line. It means that our readers can get the news from the Web site and newspaper, and stay in touch via their cellphone no matter where they are," says Buckland.
"Partnering with the Mail & Guardian to offer this service to customers is a perfect fit for M-Web Mobile, as one of our main objectives are to provide users with meaningful, relevant and useful information," says Mark Hoffman, GM of M-Web Mobile. "We are currently also expanding our offering to growing small and medium-sized businesses."
The service costs R19 per month to subscribe and readers can pay for the service over the Internet via credit card. If the reader is an M-Web subscriber, the cost can be added to their monthly bill.
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