Yahoo, Cingular Link on Mobile Content

By Ed Oswald | Published February 21, 2006, 12:51 PM

AT&T said Tuesday that it had reached a deal with Yahoo to bring its Yahoo! Go service to Cingular customers that live within the 13-state region AT&T serves. Also, select stores in Austin, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; and Los Angeles would be able to offer the service.

Consumers who are subscribers of both Cingular and AT&T Yahoo Internet would be able to access customized content through their mobile phone. The service will initially be available from Cingular through the Nokia 6682 mobile phone.

The phone sells for $199.99 USD with a $50 mail-in rebate through Cingular's regular sales channels. Normal data usage charges would still apply, AT&T said. The company did not specify any future plans to bring the service to additional handsets.

Yahoo! Go allows consumers to access their Yahoo! Mail, Photos, Address Book, Calendar, Messenger and Web, Image and Local search, as well as customized news, weather and sports from a mobile phone. The service was first announced at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

"We have created a service unmatched in the mobile marketplace and are excited to give consumers a single way to simply connect to all of their information and content while on the go," said Yahoo Connected Life senior vice president Marco Boerries.

The service fits into the strategies of the two companies, they said in a statement. Both Yahoo and AT&T want to allow customers to access services over a variety of platforms, and Yahoo! Go is a step in that direction.