Games, movies and now novels on mobiles

BEIJING: The copyright for China's first novel to be delivered by mobile phone text messaging, featuring an extra-marital love affair, has been sold by a Beijing-based wireless business operator, Xinhua news agency reported.

The abbreviated, 4,200-character "Outside the Fortress Besieged" will be available in installments by SMS, WAP or IVR format, which can be read by short messaging system (SMS), on the Internet, or listened to on a mobile phone, Xinhua said. IVR stands for interactive voice response and WAP for wireless application protocol.

The copyright was sold for 180,000 yuan ($20,500), it said without giving details.

China has approximately 260 million mobile phone users, the vast majority of whom use SMS.

During this year's Spring Festival -- China's Lunar New Year -- mobile phone users sent nearly 10 billion short messages, generating 1 billion yuan in revenue, Xinhua said.

"Outside the Fortress Besieged", a title that originates from one of China's best-known novels, describes marriage as a fortress besieged -- those who are outside want to get in and those who are inside want to get out.