Nokia And Pearson Form Mobile Learning JV In China

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One more publishing deal in Asia involving a UK publisher: Pearson is forming a JV with Nokia to deliver mobile education services. Called Beijing Mobiledu Technologies, the JV is an extension of Nokia’s Mobiledu service, which was launched in 2007 and provides English-language educational content directly to mobile phones, from a variety of content providers.

The deal looks like a double-helper: It will give Pearson (NYSE: PSO) a leg-up in their strategy to expand in the Chinese market, which John Fallon, chief exec of Pearson’s International Education business says has the highest number of people learning English of any market. And it will also give Nokia (NYSE: NOK) a more dedicated partner to develop content for Mobiledu. The service claims to have 20 million subscribers, although Nokia says in a release that only 1.5 million of those “actively” use the service each month.

Mobiledu can be accessed through Nokia’s Ovi store, through a WAP portal, and through an application preloaded on new Nokia handsets in the country. Apps that are currently on the site retail for around 2 yuan ($0.30) each.

The JV will be headed up by Angela Long, who is the former head of Mobiledu.

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