France Telecom's mobile phone business Orange on June 20 detailed plans to expand its e-mail offerings to woo the masses of smaller business users who want constant access to their work e-mails.
The move is the latest attempt by mobile firms to grab a slice of the market dominated by Research In Motion Ltd, the maker of the BlackBerry e-mail service.
"Today, only around 10 percent of small and medium enterprises use mobile e-mail and it's often seen as an expensive business tool reserved for senior executives in the company," said Philippe Bernard, executive vice president of Orange Business Solutions.
Those who sign up for the service will be able to send and receive e-mails on their phones and pocket computers and synchronise calendars and diaries, although they will not be able to scroll back through reams of old messages.