DTAC offers reader app

DTAC offers reader app

Total Access Communication (DTAC), the country's second-largest mobile operator, is introducing a digital reading application.

Readever provides 1,000 titles from 30 book publishers for iOS devices, with plans for Android in the near future.

The Readever application is aimed at capitalising on growing sales of e-books in Thailand, thanks in part to the availability of third-generation (3G) commercial services and the proliferation of tablets.

Pakorn Pannachet, senior vice-president and marketing head of DTAC, said e-book sales will account for up to 4% of Thailand's conventional book market in 2014, up from 0.5% of a market worth 2.4 billion baht now.

In developed countries such as Japan and South Korea, the e-book market makes up 35% and 25% of the total, respectively.

Mr Pakorn said e-book sales in Thailand are expected to skyrocket by 800% this year. Readever provides 1,000 titles from 30 book publishers for iOS devices, with plans to include Android devices in the near future.

The app allows users to share sound bites, a short clip of speech or music extracted from a longer piece of audio, and create their own reading community. Users can also write their own e-books on the app.

Users can download a series of exclusive books from celebrities free of charge.

"We expect to have at least 100,000 downloads by year-end," said Mr Pakorn.

He said DTAC predicts 700,000 potential e-book readers.

Mr Pakorn said book owners will receive 70% of the e-book cost while the remaining 30% will go to Apple's App Store. DTAC will gain by adding customers to its data tariff plans.

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