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Apr. 3, 2009

Tony Lewis, head of the Verizon Wireless E-Reader Project said yesterday at CTIA Wireless that no less than 5 companies have approached Verizon on the idea of wireless connections for e-readers.

"Expect to see a lot of e-readers out there. The interest level is very high," added Lewis.

Amazon launched its second version of the 'Kindle E-Reader' in March. It uses Sprint Nextel’s wireless network to provide near-instant access to a store with over 100,000 books.

Lewis wouldn't identify which manufacturers Verizon has been talking to, but there are some at the convention that had their own clues.

However, Lewis suggested that Verizon Wireless is looking at entering parts of the e-book market that the Kindle doesn't already address, like college textbooks.

AT&T, the second largest wireless carrier after Verizon Wireless, has also been talking to e-reader manufacturers, said Ralph de la Vega, AT&T's head of consumer services. Since the company's network is more similar to ones used overseas, it could support international e-book readers, he noted.

Currently, the Kindle can only download books only in the U.S.

To this date, the Kindle's main competitor has been Sony’s E-Reader. It has the same type of screen, meant to emulate the look of paper, but lacks wireless access. Instead, books are loaded by connecting the device to a computer, using a serial cable or USB port.

"We would be happy to have Sony with us on this," Lewis said, refusing to confirm if the company had been in touch with Verizon.

AT&T is also looking for more ways to expand the use of its wireless network beyond mobile phones to generate additional revenue, just like Verizon Wireless.

In the mobile industry, it's revenue, revenue, revenue.

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Source: AT&T.