* RCOM India's first service provider to offer integrated operator billing to pre- and post-paid subscribers

* Over 17000 pieces of locally relevant paid-for content especially for RCOM users.

MUMBAI: Nokia and Reliance Communications, in a first-of-its-kind partnership in the country, announced the launch of the India chapter of Nokia's Ovi Store. Reliance Communications will be the first service provider to offer integrated operator billing for their consumers in India enabling access to a host of paid-for content on the Ovi Store. The amount will be either included in their monthly mobile phone bills or deducted from the pre-paid balance, per their data plans. Nokia has especially made available over 17,000 pieces of locally relevant paid-for content for RCOM users.

The Ovi Store is a one-stop-shop for mobile content to help consumers personalize their Nokia devices. It supports a wide range of content and file types including applications, games, videos, podcasts, productivity tools, web and location-based services and much more. Launched in 2009, the Ovi Store has 4 million downloads per day globally, a milestone spurred by overall global demand and a recent update that gives users a friendlier look and feel as well as more popular apps and games. India currently sees more than 4.5 million downloads a week.

Commenting on this alliance, Prashant Gokarn - 3G Head, Reliance Communications, said, Nokia and RCOM have had a longstanding … association, and … this new venture will … bring exclusive apps through Ovi Store coupled with a convenient purchase process… (and)… usher in significant growth in adoption and usage of apps in India....

V Ramnath, Director - Operator Channels, Nokia India, said, "Our partnership with Reliance Communications is a big step towards providing Indian consumers easy and simplified access to Ovi Store content through operator billing. The response from consumers in India has already exceeded our expectations, with the number of weekly downloads crossing 4.5 million. We believe our partnership will help accelerate this further....