irgin Radio will become the first station to offer pictures as well as sound when it launches a new "visual radio" service in the UK, available via Nokia mobile phones. Visual radio works by sending images to mobile phones which are synchronised with the station�s play list. Listeners using their mobile phones to tune into Virgin will be able to vote for play lists, rank particular songs, take part in competitions or buy ringtones and tracks by clicking on the various images, rather than sending texts. Virgin will create the visual content using special software created by Nokia and computer giant HP, which will be then broadcast to mobiles.


Nokia, which is introducing two new visual radio enabled mobile models to kickstart the service, claims there will be 100 million of the sets worldwide by the end of 2006. More than 2.5 million people in the UK already use their mobile phones to listen to radio.
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