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LONDON - BT Group and Sony have signed a deal to add WiFi-based communications software capable of enabling messaging and voice and video calls on the Japanese firm's PlayStationPortable (PSP) gaming devices.
The telecoms group said its four-year deal with Sony will see all new PSPs shipped later this year come pre-loaded with its software, transforming them into communications devices when within the range of a WiFi hotspot.
BT and Sony will initially launch the service in the UK later this year, before extending it to over 100 countries across Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Users of PSPs will be able to make video and voice calls with each other anywhere globally, and BT said additional features will be included later to enable calls and messages between PSPs and computers, fixed-line phones and mobiles.
Sony has so far shipped 24 million PSPs globally since PSP was launched in December 2004, 8 million of which into Europe.
Steve Andrews, head of mobility and convergence at BT, said the deal was meant to showcase the edge its new broadband-based telecoms network had over rivals and boost consumer interest and loyalty for its broadband products.
BT has for the past few years sought to transform itself from a hardware-based fixed-line telecoms provider into a software-based supplier of feature-rich telecoms and entertainment applications.
It has invested around 10 billion pounds into its 21 Century Network telecoms infrastructure which can provide high-quality voice and video calls at cheaper costs over the internet.
Andrews declined to reveal BT's investment in its initiative with Sony, only saying it was not in the hundreds of millions of pounds.
- REUTERS
