China's Linktone Launches Mobile Literature Channel

Posted on December 3, 2004

Linktone Ltd., a provider of wireless value-added services (WVAS) to mobile phone users in China, announced that it has launched a mobile literature channel in China, called the "m-Novel" Channel. The first literature being published through this channel is a romantic story titled, Distance, written by Xuan Huang, a prominent new-generation novelist from Taiwan. Distance will be initially offered in serial format via Linktone's short messaging services (SMS) platform. Linktone expects to expand the story and channel to its other wireless service platforms such as multimedia messaging services (MMS), wireless application protocol (WAP) and interactive voice response (IVR).

Linktone's launch of Distance in mainland China coincides with a simultaneous launch in Taiwan by a Taiwan-based wireless service provider. Unlike traditional novels in book form, m-Novel conveys characters, scenes and stories within the parameters of an SMS message, which has a typical capacity of 70 Chinese characters. A winding love story of a young couple that becomes acquainted because of a mis-sent SMS message, Distance comprises only 1,008 Chinese characters in 15 chapters. Each day for 15 consecutive days, one chapter will be delivered to Linktone users through an SMS message. The company has prepared a strong pipeline of stories for the m-Novel channel including another serial from Xuan Huang -- Cold Love in Taipei.

"The launch of the m-Novel Channel, as well as its first SMS offering, Distance, resulted from our continued product enhancement and differentiation efforts to meet the entertainment needs of the large group of young and trendy mobile users in China. The initial market response has been very encouraging," said Raymond Yang, chief executive officer of Linktone. "We expect the m-Novel Channel to create a close and 'sticky' reader community while serving as a convenient vehicle for delivering an entertainment and mobile literature experience."

Xuan Huang, a well-known writer, TV and radio host, and flash producer, is the creator of the Taiwanese flash character, "A-Kuei", a grade three student whose stories mirror part of the life of grown-ups. Xuan Huang has also been a columnist for the leisure sections of several print publications in mainland China and Taiwan.