QXL.com announced
Tuesday that it will partner
BT Cellnet in a deal that will
make its online auctions available via BT’s
Genie Internet wireless platform.
The deal calls for a specially created service, tailored
for WAP mobile phones, but it will include thousands of
items and will greatly extend the reach of QXL.com’s auctions.
Users will be able to submit bids direct from their mobile
phones.
Jim Rose, chief executive officer of QXL.com, said his
firm was the first to host co-branded online auctions with
BT Cellnet.
“This agreement provides both QXL.com and BT Cellnet customers
with a fun, easy and convenient way to access and keep up to
speed on QXL.com’s latest auctions,” said Rose.
Speaking for Genie Internet, General Manager Brian Greasley said
that 600,000 customers have already signed up for the WAP service,
and the number is growing by 4,000 a day.
Genie Internet is a Mobile Internet Service Provider, the
first with fully operational, commercially available WAP
services in the U.K. when it launched in January this year.
In March, BT formed a global mobile Internet business based
on Genie Internet, and this summer it plans to become the
first mobile network in the U.K to offer commercial services
based on a General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) network, following
a 500 person trial in January.
QXL.com operates across Europe in nine languages and currencies,
enabling sellers to locate and trade with buyers on a 24/7
basis. Via QXL, buyers can bid for computer software and hardware,
consumer electronics, household appliances, collectibles and
even for packaged holidays.
