BBC World Service has entered into a partnership with mobile telecommunications firm Zain to maximise the reach of its content offerings via mobile Internet, TMCnet reported last week.

As per the agreement, Zain will provide access to BBC World Service news content to its users on their mobile handsets, across nine mobile portals in Kenya, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Chad, Congo, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Malawi, Mediamughals reported.

Zain is amongst the leading mobile network operator with a commercial presence in 23 countries across Africa and the Middle East, serving more than 70 million active customers. Users can also access BBC news content directly from the Zain homepage, according to TMCnet.

"We are always looking for ways to drive traffic to our news and sports sites, and this collaboration provides simple, one-click access from one of Africa's most popular mobile portals, increasing our reach across the continent," said Simon Kendall, head of business development for Africa and the Middle East at BBC World Service, according to TMC.