After trials with West Midlands station Heart 100.7 earlier this year, UBC has today confirmed agreements with Heart and five other stations to offer their listeners the ability to download music as they hear it.
The network plans to soft launch the service in London in the first quarter of 2007 and to go live nationally in May.
The service has the support of Universal Music, Warner Music and EMI as well as music publishers, after they came to an agreement with UBC about copyright payments.
The service will only work from mobile phone handsets equipped with a DAB radio chip, and there is currently only one on the market. This is Virgin Mobile's Lobster 700 TV.
Once bought, songs will be sent to the mobile phone over 3G and to the purchaser's home internet account.
Other manufacturers may bring out other digital radio devices capable of operating the service during 2007, according to UBC.
UBC has not yet finalised terms with Virgin Mobile for the customer and billing services it will provide.
The radio stations which have agreed in principle to offer the service are Chrysalis' Heart West Midlands and another Chrysalis station yet to be decided; Emap's digital-only stations Smash Hits and The Hits; Guardian Media Group's Smooth FM; and Classic Gold Digital, which is jointly owned by UBC and GCap Media.
UBC's financial results for the six months to September 30 were also announced today.
The company made a pre-tax loss of £415,000 on revenues of £9.1m.
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