Wholesale data cuts should boost a flagging market

Mobile transaction network mBlox and mobile content platform New-Visions are to launch a music track download service which the pair claim will slash the cost of mobile music.

Consumers typically pay the retail price for a track, but then get stung with data transmission charges as they download the track to their handsets.

The offering from mBlox claims to offer users "one price" to download music with no additional operator data charges.

Launching later this week, the services are made possible through mBlox's wholesale data service in conjunction with Vodafone UK and music labels Ministry of Sound and V2.

The services will feature new releases and classic tracks from artists including Stereophonics, The Rakes, Lethal Bizzle, Studio B, Boogie Pimps and DJ Sammy.

Operators' data charges for downloading content are often cited as the reason for the slow uptake of rich media services on mobiles.

But mBlox said that consumers are not only paying for the value of the content via premium billing but for the cost of the data traffic to deliver the content.

Consequently, songs that are approximately 1MB in size can cost consumers £1.50 for the song plus an additional £8 in data charges.

Patrick Hagenaar, mobile operations manager at the Ministry of Sound, said: "We have been selling music and video downloads for more than 18 months, but have been restricted to selling our content through the operator portals as it has not been feasible for us and our artists to sell directly to customers due to the high data charges."

Wholesale data is available only to Vodafone customers at present. Orange expects to offer the service shortly as it considers wholesale data as core to the long-term development of the mobile media market.

Other UK operators are expected to make the facility available within a few months.