PARIS: Taking a page out of Apple's book,France Telecom's mobile phone unit Orange launched its own shop to sell downloadable videos, games, music and other content to its 130 million mobile phone subscribers.

Orange said on Wednesday it will launch its App Shop in France and the UK immediately, and then roll it out into its other markets like Spain, Poland, and Slovakia in 2010.

The move shows how telecom operators are seeking ways to make money from the rise of the mobile Internet, as more and more people surf the web on their phones.

Apple's App Store, which launched in mid-2008, has proven extremely popular with 2 billion downloads this year. And telecom operators and technology firms including Vodafone, Nokia, and Microsoft want to follow suit.

However, analysts say others will likely struggle to match the success of Apple's store, hampered by technical issues, a lack of applications and increased competition.

Nokia started its own app store in May called Ovi, and Microsoft also plans an on-line bazaar to sell mobile software on its Windows phones.

"Mobile apps are redefining how people experience the internet on mobile phones," said Christophe Francois, the head of Orange's Technocentre in an interview on the sidelines of the leWeb 09 conference in Paris.