Europe UK : In an exclusive deal, O2 has partnered with Rightmove.co.uk to connect even more home movers with property. The partnership sees Rightmove.co.uk available on O2s new i-mode handsets giving mobile consumers access to over 660,000 properties to buy or rent in the UK and overseas.

This exclusive deal offers Rightmove the opportunity to provide homemovers with details of the latest property available on the market, including full colour photographs, direct to their mobile phones. It also gives homemovers instant access to the estate agent enabling them to view property within seconds.

Rightmove is the only property portal to offer its membership this exclusive access to an untapped audience in London and the rest of the UK. Promotion of O2s i-mode service will be extensive with bus shelter, billboard and TV advertising throughout the UK. Inevitably this will drive even more traffic to the site, providing even more value for Rightmoves membership.

This new initiative will help estate agents advertising their properties through Rightmove.co.uk to build closer relationships with increasingly mobile consumers. The i-mode site will offer mobile homemovers exclusive access to Rightmove.co.uk on their O2 phones, through which Rightmove.co.uk will be able to connect homemovers with property.

These revolutionary mobile handsets have already taken Japan by storm, and if past success of IT innovations is anything to go by, the UK looks set to follow suit. A phenomenal 30% of Japans internet traffic is on i-mode phones! With Christmas just round the corner, the i-mode mobiles are sure to be stocking fillers this Christmas.

This leap forward in technology is a reflection of the hectic nature of peoples lives today. Too many homemovers simply don’t have the time to trawl through papers and the high street, with many preferring to view property from the convenience of their workplace/office or comfort of their own home. Now they have an added channel with access to over 60% of property direct from their mobiles!

Grahame Riddell, Head of i-mode Marketing for O2 UK said: “We chose Rightmove as our property content provider owing to its vast representation of estate agents property. Homemovers can access property details instantly from their mobile phones making it even easier and more convenient way to search for property. Rightmove.co.uk joins a host of other well known household brands such as egg.com, Monster.com and Norwich Union to provide information for the newly launched i-mode service.”

Miles Shipside, Commercial Director for Rightmove.co.uk adds: “They only started selling the phones in October, so its too early to be having an impact yet. If it ends up as successful here as it is in Japan, then it will be brilliant for rightmove members. I-mode offers us the opportunity to add an additional distribution channel, putting even more people in touch with the property of their dreams.”