Users can purchase and download the Bible on their mobile phones by simply logging into the website

Mar 20, 2007 13:48 GMT  ·  By

The American Bible Society and the Bible Societies of Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Russia and South Africa announced the launch a mobile Internet site intended to easily deliver the Bible to mobile phone subscribers. The service enables mobile phone users in more than 130 countries across all networks to purchase and download the Bible on their mobile phones by simply logging into the website.

The mobile website was implemented with the help of ChristianMobile, creators of VirtualBible - the first Bible delivered to a mobile phone via a premium sms-text message, and CmChat - the first Christian mobile chat application. John Cruz, vice president of Bible publishing, American Bible Society, said "The American Bible Society is pleased to partner with ChristianMobile to distribute Scripture in an innovative and highly accessible format. Through this creative technology, people can read the Bible's messages of inspiration, strength, courage and hope on their cell phones whenever and wherever they wish."

The service uses a global billing solution that dynamically presents the best payment method to the consumer. After logging into the website, users can choose one of various payment methods to pay for a Bible download, such as direct operator billing (including PayForIt in the UK), Premium SMS, credit/debit cards and PayPal, all of which adapt according to the user's preference.

"We opted for the Bango billing solution which provides 'browse and buy' technology to power the Bible Societies' newly-launched WAP site. The WAP site will engage directly with its users in multiple languages in order to promote and sell a number of Bible Translations to users across all the mobile networks," said Bertus Preller, marketing executive at ChristianMovile. "The 'browse and buy technology' enables users to pay in a chosen currency and to download the Bible in easy steps. We hope to engage also with mobile carriers to broaden the distribution. It is a real honor to be an instrument in God's hands to spread the Gospel in such an exiting way."

The newly launched website can be accessed from the mobile phone HERE.