AT&T announced that its wireless customers will be able to download more than 5 million full-track songs over the air from Napster's catalog. The service, called Napster Mobile, will also allow customers to preview 30-second samples of each song and conveniently purchase and download their favorite music directly from their wireless handsets, AT&T claims. Each song will cost $1.99 or, if they desire, customers can opt for the Napster Mobile Five-Track Pack option for a price of $7.49 per month.

"AT&T is the nationwide leader in mobile music and offers the largest catalog of songs, the most digital music choices and the best user experience in the industry," said Mark Collins, vice president of Consumer Data for AT&T's wireless unit.

The service is allegedly to kick start somewhere in mid-November. Apparently, Napster Mobile will not be available on iPhones, because the device is tied with Apple's iTunes music store. This means you probably need to apply another hack to make it work despite Apple's safeguards.

"We are pleased to be partnering with AT&T to provide its more than 63 million wireless customers with the best digital music offering available," said Brad Duea, president of Napster.

AT&T wants to make some deals directly with artists, thus making available exclusively some tunes for its wireless subscribers. Such a deal appears to be that with Matchbox Twenty, who will provide content from their next album, "Exile on Mainstream," to kick off the service.

A list of compatible phones has not been published yet. Napster as a subscription music service was launched six months after the iTunes Store, in October 2003. It was built on the dead original Napster company, which was bought by Roxio at its bankruptcy auction in 2002. Napster acquired AOL Music’s subscription service in Jan. 2007. Its Napster Mobile service, which AT&T uses, is a fully-integrated service available to wireless operators across the globe.