Music powers mobile evolution

February 12, 2008

At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona LG Electronics announced it will start to sell mobile phones in few months time giving consumers full access to free music via Omnifone's MusicStation download service. LG's first full-access music phone is set to hit the market months ahead of a similar offering from the world's top cellphone maker Nokia, which unveiled its plan to start selling phones with free music access in December last year. Such unlimited download models could offer a shot in the arm to the music industry, which is struggling to find ways to make up for falling CD sales -- something that pay-per-track online stores like Apple's iTunes have so far failed to do. Reuters European Technology Correspondent Matt Cowan reports from Barcelona.