June 28, 2004
Branded Disney phones?
Media companies such as Walt Disney and News Corp's Fox Entertainment Group already push entertainment and news to phones through pacts with mobile companies. But the creator of Mickey Mouse might go a step further and sell its own branded wireless phone service in the United States, using an existing operator's network, reports Wired.
[...] "If you saw a Disney phone, you would probably be pretty comfortable giving it to your child," according to IDC analyst Scott Ellison.
[...] Disney's wireless business is already profitable in markets where it is well established. Disney first started selling mobile content in 2000 via a partnership with Japan's NTT DoCoMo.
But providing a branded phone service in the United States, where six national providers are already scrambling for customers amid slowing growth, is a more complex prospect."
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