Amazon Anywhere, launched with much fanfare as the mobile e-commerce division of e-tailing giant Amazon.com in October of 1999, reportedly is being scaled back as fewer consumers than expected are using the so-called "m-commerce" service.

The initiative had been designed to let consumers buy products on Amazon using WAP-enabled cell phones and various other mobile Internet access devices.

But apparently demand has been less than anticipated, and now reports are surfacing that "the bulk of the 30 employees" who worked in the Amazon Anywhere department no longer work on the mobile initiative.

Most have left to work at other technology companies or were transferred to other departments within Amazon.com, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Amazon at one time had even considered spinning off its Amazon Anywhere group to license products to other Internet companies, the Journal reported, citing five people familiar with the effort.

A call to Amazon.com seeking comment was not returned by press time.