Nokia, backed by strategic partners, is looking to make its advanced mobile phones an adjunct to the way people listen to the radio or watch television in Asia.
The Finnish communications giant yesterday unveiled its ambitious Visual Radio and Mobile TV initiatives at its annual Nokia Connection event in Singapore.
Developed with Hewlett-Packard, Nokia's Visual Radio will be available later this year in Singapore through MediaCorp Radio and StarHub.
In Thailand, the service will be offered through RS Promotions and TA Orange.
Visual Radio allows listeners to tune in to local FM radio with their mobile phones. They simultaneously receive interactive information and graphics that are synchronised with the broadcast.
Text and graphics are delivered via the cellular network on the screen of the mobile handset.
'The commercial roll out of Visual Radio in Singapore and Thailand is testimony that radio broadcasters in the Asia-Pacific region are recognising mobile phones as vehicles to reach customers,' said Jawahar Kanjilal, director of rich media and music business programs at Nokia Asia-Pacific.