Reliance Infocomm gets its comic timing right

The ever-green comic strips that add some humour to a dull day and makes one ponder over hidden wisdom, has found a new place to anchor.

The speech balloons and unsaid messages of the cartoon characters are the latest addition to Reliance Infocomm's R World suite of applications, and can be accessed over Reliance IndiaMobile (RIM) handsets.

The private telephony service provider has begun uploading major Indian and foreign comic strips, on its R-World portal. At present, Archies, Chacha Chowdhary, Billoo & Pinki and Hum Tum are available on R World, and plans to add others on to the platform.

Reliance Infocomm is planning to add one new strip a week on R World, company sources told Business Standard here today. Reliance Infocomm offers its CDMA-based services under the RIM brand.

The addition of comic strips will help Reliance Infocomm to cash in on its universal appeal, irrespective of the age group, and use the powerful combination of pictures and prose to tell stories.

The mobile comics application is also a breakaway from the conventional style of reading comics page by page, as on a cellphone the user reads frame by frame using the scroll key.

The comic strips are available under the 'Messaging' application on R World and is paid service, with Reliance intending to charge Rs 2 per log-on basis.

The service is categorised under impulsive application, while R World has also other categories which are being charged either on a monthly basis or a 'Day Pass'.

The company levies Rs 25 on the monthly membership scheme and provides accessibility to over 60 applications, while the charge for Day Pass for the similar applications is Rs 3.

R World has over a billion pages of information, including rich media content and video clips. Some of the specialised services available on the suite are TV news clips, city and TV guides, railway reservations, mobile banking and other transactions, examination results, ball-by-ball cricket updates and movie clips among others.