MUMBAI: Since music streaming services broke out, partnerships with telecom companies have mushroomed as well.

These deals seem to be beneficial for both parties as the streaming services get access to millions of users and telecom companies see these partnerships as a customer retention tool and to differentiate themselves from competitors. For example, in October 2015 telecommunications provider Virgin Mobile partnered with Australian streaming music service Guvera in order to compete with Vodafone’s Spotify and Telstra’s Apple partnerships. These are just few deals in this highly competitive industry.

One of the latest developments in this space is the Deezer- Huawei deal. In a first of its kind global streaming partnership, Deezer will be preloaded on all of Huawei’s Honor devices, giving its customers immediate access to Deezer’s rich library catalogue of 40 million tracks, personalised mixes, 40,000 podcasts and audio books.

Huawei’s massive global network is used by a third of the world’s population and combined with Deezer’s global footprint in 180 countries, the partnership would give users more flexibility, freedom and options to discover new music with personally curated recommendations from 50 Deezer editors from around the world.

Deezer will be available on Honor devices in Europe, Middle East, Russia and South East Asia.

“Honor customers will get the best of both worlds – smart technology alongside the best in music and radio,” said Gerrit Schumann, chief international officer, Deezer. “With just one touch, listeners can access the largest music catalogue in the world, as well as over 40,000 podcasts, personalised mixes and audio books.”

“Honor customers are always looking to find new ways to be entertained on their mobile devices. And Deezer is at the forefront of innovation and entertainment,” said Liu Dan, chief strategy officer and VP of honor, Huawei Consumer Group. “We are delighted to partner with Deezer as its extensive selection and variety of music and audio services will no doubt, surprise and delight our customers.”