O2 has announced that its partnership with Napster is coming to fruition first in Ireland, which is receiving Napster Mobile on i-mode today.

Napster Mobile is now available in Ireland on all 3G i-mode handsets. It allows users to download directly from Napster's catalogue of 2.2 million tracks on to their mobiles.

The new service also features a recommendation engine that lets people know when songs are available that might interest them based on their choice of downloads.

From the beginning of next year, O2 Ireland customers will also be able to access a copy of their mobile downloads on their PCs, giving greater flexibility.

Napster and Sony Ericsson first announced an integrated digital music service available to operators back in June 2005. It has apparently taken a while to catch on.

Napster Mobile is the latest service that O2 has added to its 3G range of offerings on i-mode, which also includes a special eBay portal for busy buyers and seller.