OVERLAND PARK, Kansas - Digital media provider RealNetworks Inc. and Sprint Nextel Corp. have entered into a partnership to provide Real’s streaming radio called Rhapsody radio to Sprint customers.

The Rhapsody service will cost an extra $6.95 a month for Sprint customers who already subscribe to the company’s Vision Multimedia Service, the mobile Internet package. Rhapsody radio would be playing stations broadcasting pop, country, R&B, alternative and hip-hop. Users can also watch music videos and listen to podcasts when they avail this service. The nation’s No. 3 wireless provider is banking on music to boost its customer-base even as mobile companies are increasingly looking to offer something extra to lure customers.

The best offering has been on Cingular, which lets users download Apple’s iTunes on the Motorola ROKR phone. Sprint however is not considering following suit, “Downloading is interesting, but a lot of times people want convenience. If you travel a lot, for example, you don’t have time to upload your music to your player. With this service, the podcasts are there when you want them,” said Kevin Nakao, general manager of RealNetworks’ mobile business.

The new service is being targeted at the baby boomers as well as the teenage groups. Seattle-based RealNetworks Inc is already Sprint’s partner in its Real-rTV service. The company said that the sound of the radio would be somewhere in the range of the quality of FM radio. Also listening on headphones is said to give a better quality than the phone’s in-built speaker. “People want access to music on the go. It hasn’t been about fidelity. We’re already seeing some early results that we think look really good,” said Nakao.

The Rhapsody service is available for Sprint customers from Monday.