But as these features are still in their infancy, network operators are still experimenting as they face competition from devices such as Apple Computer Inc.’s (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) hugely popular iPod, which also plays music and video.

Cingular, a venture of AT&T Inc (T.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and BellSouth Corp. (BLS.N: Quote, Profile, Research), already charges about $20 a month to wirelessly stream news and entertainment video clips to its customers cellphones. It is looking at how to add to this service.

One option is to offer live wireless television services though partnerships with broadcasters and another is to allow customers to transfer video files from their computer to their phone, bypassing the wireless network, Rinne said.

Consumers would not have to pay Cingular network fees for swapping video from their computer to their phone through a short-range radio link or a cable, but Rinne said such a move could free up network capacity and attract customers.

MAKE IT EASY

“It’s something we’re very seriously looking at,” she said in an interview at the CTIA wireless conference here. Rinne added that Cingular should accommodate the fact that people like to receive programming in a number of different ways.

“The key to that is to make it easy for the customer to use,” she added, noting that if a favorite program was not available on streaming video or live television customers should be able to find another way to play it on their phone.

Consumers can already buy videos over the Internet to download from their computer to their iPod. Rinne did not say whether Cingular would use a similar model.