ChristianMobile, creators of VirtualBible™, the first ever Bible delivered to a mobile phone by way of a premium sms-text message, facilitated the implementation of the Bible Societies' direct-to-consumer mobile internet site http://wapbibles.com.

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 order to promote and sell a number of Bible Translations in all languages across all mobile carriers.

The service enables mobile phone users in more than 150 countries across all networks to purchase and download the Bible on their mobile phones by visiting http://wapbibles.com from their mobile phone. New Bible translations and versions are being added on a weekly basis.

'While mobiles are great for up-to-the-minute information urgent messages and football scores - we are offering people an opportunity to use the same technology for reflection,' said Michael Pfundner, Bible Society UK's Development Officer. 'Just two minutes' Bible reading, on a crowded train, can be really helpful on a busy day.' For church ministers in a counselling situation, bringing out a leather-bound book can appear scholarly and aloof - 'reading a Psalm from a Sony Ericsson is much less threatening,' explained Michael Pfundner.The age of the 'pew Bible' may be over too, as churches will no longer need to provide Bibles for visitors. Mobile phone users in more than 150 countries will be able to make use of the service in a choice of translations. 'With the launch of this product the Bible is no longer a dusty book on a shelf - it becomes part of a person's daily life and culture, as natural as their personalised ringtone or mp3s,' said Michael Pfundner. 'We expect demand for VirtualBible™ to come mainly, but not exclusively from young people for whom accessing information of all kinds on their mobiles is as normal as making a phone call,' said Michael Pfundner. 'It fits in with our mission to make the Bible - and its message accessible to a generation that reads screens more than books. The words and truth remain the same.'

The service utilizes Bango's global billing solution which dynamically presents the best payment method to the consumer. Once in the site a customer 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. Bertus Preller, Marketing Executive at ChristianMobile, said, "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 order to promote and sell a number of Bible Translations in all languages across all mobile carriers." Mr. Preller explained, "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, mobile aggregators and Christian media companies to broaden the Bible distribution. The mobile phone is an excellent channel to spread the Gospel and to fulfill the great command Jesus instructed His disciples. We are honoured to be able to be an instrument in God's hands to bring hope to all the people of this world in such a dynamic way".

About the United Bible Societies
The United Bible Societies is a world fellowship of national Societies. Each Society is rooted in the life of its own people and churches. A national Bible Society is a non-denominational organization whose purpose is to translate, produce, and distribute the Christian Scriptures in languages that people can understand at prices they can afford. In 1946, delegates from 13 countries met in England where the United Bible Societies (UBS) was founded. UBS had grown into a family of 141 national Bible Societies working in more than 200 countries and territories.