Playboy bounces into US mobiles

Is that static on the line or heavy breathing?

Playboy Enterprises' plan to introduce adult entertainment for mobile phones next year may leave some people wondering.

Under an agreement with Seattle-based Dwango Wireless, Playboy plans to sell adult mobile-phone content in the United States and Canada for the first time early next year.

The deal, announced on Thursday, calls for Dwango to develop and deliver Playboy-themed games, images, video clips, voice clips and ring tones. The wireless-entertainment firm has similar arrangements with ESPN and Rolling Stone, and distributes that content to subscribers through agreements with major wireless carriers such as Cingular, Nextel, T-Mobile and Verizon.

The Playboy deal makes for some strange bedfellows, however. Dwango also has a distribution deal with Beliefnet, a religious website that features meditation guides and prayers of the day.

The Playboy service is likely to feature images from the company's magazine, while audio clips will focus on jazz and hip hop music, Dwango representative Nicole Bahr said.

Subscribers who request R-rated content will be asked to verify that they are 18 years of age or older, a Playboy representative said. In addition, the service will appear as a separate item on subscribers' wireless services or credit card bills.

The companies have not yet set a price for the service, but it's likely to be close to the $1.99 to $4.99 that Dwango typically charges for ring tones and images, Bahr said.

Playboy already sells wireless entertainment in many countries, including in Germany, the UK, Australia and Brazil. With its expansion into North America, the company estimates that it will tap a market of more than 170 million wireless subscribers.

Alorie Gilbert writes for CNET News.com.