WebProNews

The Wikimedia Foundation, the organization behind Wikipedia, is partnering with European mobile provider Orange. The partnership will see Orange devices carrying co-branded content for customers in France, the UK, Spain, and Poland.

"At Orange we are committed to giving people maximum access to the widest range of digital technologies and to simplifying the way people use these technologies to access information," says Orange's Paul-François Fournier. "By bringing our customers a new way to access content from Wikipedia, one of the world’s most recognised and popular internet brands, we are delivering on this commitment."

Some things that the partnership will specifically cater to include:

- creating specific Wikipedia channels on Orange mobile and web portals

- enriching sections of the Orange web and mobile portals with links to relevant Wikipedia information

- developing mobile and web-based widgets which enable customers to access Wikipedia content directly from their Orange mobile or web homepage

"The Wikimedia Foundation is dedicated to spreading knowledge to as many people as possible, in as many ways as possible," said Sue Gardner, Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation. "Orange's leadership in mobile and focus on innovation makes them an ideal partner to help us extend our reach. The Foundation welcomes partnerships that help us carry out our mission and that respect the valuable contributions of the Wikimedia community"

A second phase of the partnership will involve Orange and Wikimedia creating a range of services. There's no word yet on just what these services will be however. They will expand into the rest of Orange's customer base around Europe though.