Orange to Offer Mobile Version of Wikipedia

Orange has announced a deal to port the Wikipedia internet encyclopedia into its own mobile internet portal - both as a stand-alone product but also integrated into its existing content services. The service will be initially launched in  France, the UK, Spain and Poland.

Phase two of the agreement will see the two organisations cooperate to create a range of new services. In addition, the partnership will be rolled out across the rest of Orange's European footprint.

Commenting on the agreement, Paul-François Fournier, Executive Vice President of Orange Audience Line of Business, said: "At Orange we are committed to giving people maximum access to the widest range of digital technologies and to simplifying the way people use these technologies to access information. By bringing our customers a new way to access content from Wikipedia, one of the world's most recognised and popular internet brands, we are delivering on this commitment."

"The Wikimedia Foundation is committed to spreading knowledge to as many people as possible, in as many ways as possible," said Sue Gardner, Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation. "Orange's leadership in mobile and focus on innovation makes them an ideal partner to help us extend our reach. The Foundation welcomes partnerships that help us carry out our mission and respect the valuable work of our community."

Other companies, such as Wapedia, have already converted the free Wikipedia encyclopedia to work on mobile phones, but this is understood to be the first official partnership between the website and an mobile network operator.

Posted to the site on 23rd April 2009