Popular video Web site YouTube is opening up its service to run on millions more phones capable of providing high-speed wireless Internet access, the company said.

YouTube, a unit of Google, says it is extending its service from a handful of phones to a broader range of devices used by 100 million consumers worldwide who rely on high-speed networking to stream videos to mobile screens.

"It's basically the full YouTube experience you can get on the desktop -- on the phone," said Dwipal Desai, YouTube's mobile-product manager. "We expect it to get fairly popular, from our past experiences."

The Web video sensation now provides only a full mobile-video service to users of Apple's iPhone and to devices sold by Helio, a small US wireless provider that targets young, tech-savvy consumers. Helio is a unit of SK Telecom and EarthLink.

A scaled-down version of YouTube with selected clips is also available to subscribers of the No 2 mobile service in the United States, Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group.

Desai said in an interview that most of the phones sold by Verizon would not support the full-fledged streaming service and that it is not yet clear when this might change.

The company is also testing software that will make it easier for mobile-phone users to upload videos from phones onto YouTube, potentially allowing for far greater use of video to document people's everyday lives.

Desai did not say how YouTube plans to make money. Typically, YouTube and other Google services wait until they have found a large audience before the company seeks to introduce advertising to help pay for the service.

"Right now, we are focused on building a user base on alternative screens, and we'll look at monetisation in the future," he said.

The service will run on select devices from US-based Motorola, South Korea's LG Electronics, Finland's Nokia and Sony Ericsson, jointly owned by Japan's Sony and Sweden's Ericsson.

YouTube for Mobile will be available in 17 countries and 11 languages.

Our Version

YouTube to be seen on millions more phones.

The ever popular YouTube video site is about to make available its huge visual library on millions more mobile phones.

As part of ambitious new plans, the company, which is part of the Google group, intends to widen its service to provide access to seventeen countries and in eleven languages.

The company says it will be increasing its service from just what it calls ‘a handful of mobile phones’ to a wide range of mobile devices that are currently used by in excess of 100 million people around the globe.

YouTube's mobile-product manager, Dwipal Desai said: "It's basically the full YouTube experience you can get on the desktop -- on the phone," and "We expect it to get fairly popular, from our past experiences."

The online video leader currently offers full mobile video service to consumers who own Apple's iPhone technology and a small number of consumers on Helio, a US wireless system that is geared to young, tech-savvy clients.

Another much smaller version of YouTube that has only selected clips is currently available to clients of Verizon mobile service in the US.

Desai has also stated: “that most of the phones sold by Verizon would not support the fully-fledged streaming service and that it is not yet clear when this might change.”

YouTube is also currently beta testing some software that will make it more practical for clients to upload videos from their phones directly to YouTube. The company believes that this new technology will allow people to easily document happenings in their daily lives.

Desai failed to expand on just how YouTube intends to make money from this venture. Traditionally, YouTube and other Google-owned services have waited until they have reached a large and dedicated audience before introducing advertising.

This notion was backed up by Desai who said: "Right now, we are focused on building a user base on alternative screens, and we'll look at monetisation in the future."