Wap portal offers real-time share prices

UK share prices are available live to Wap phone users from today using a new service launched by the publishers of the Independent newspaper.

The mobile internet portal, called iTouch, is accessible using Wap phones, and in addition to share prices offers weather reports, classified advertising, and the latest news and sports services.

iTouch has already launched in South Africa, Ireland and New Zealand. Similar services will be launched in Australia and Israel. In the UK, iTouch is available across all four mobile networks, but insists it isn't competing with the operators' own Wap portals.

Hugh Griffiths, managing director of iTouch UK, said: "iTouch sees itself as complementary to the networks such as Vodafone rather than in competition with them, doing some of the things they either don't do, don't want to do - or are simply not good at. For those content providers who've already built a Wap service, we offer an independent portal that will help them reach a wider audience of customers."

The company plans to extend the service in the autumn to include personalised services, unified messaging (email, fax and voice messaging) and mobile commerce capabilities. The content will be accessible through Wap, SMS (simple messaging service) and voice platforms.