New Oriental Education and Technology Group (EDU) has entered into an agreement with Nokia (NOK) to launch a mobile learning initiative that will give students access to select New Oriental course content via their mobile phones.

"As the world leader in mobile communications, Nokia's goal is to continuously bring new innovative applications to the market," said Marko Vanska, director of Nokia Emerging Business Unit, China. "We have seen a big growth potential for mobile learning market in China. By working together with New Oriental, the leading education service provider in China, Nokia strives to enrich consumers' learning experiences anytime, anywhere in a most convenient way with their mobile phone."

Under the one-year agreement, New Oriental will provide specially designed English language and test preparation course content for download on both the Mobiledu.cn website and New Oriental's online learning site Koolearn.com. Mobile learning content will be available in selected new Nokia mobile phones with the educational programs pre-installed.

Course content will be formatted as short sound bytes that users can listen to at their convenience. New Oriental and Nokia along with other parties will jointly promote the educational offering in the China market.

"We are excited to be tapping into the Chinese mobile market with Nokia, the industry leader," said Michael Yu, New Oriental's chairman and CEO. "The demand for education in China is increasing, and this program allows us to reach more students through more creative means."