KUWAIT CITY, March 31, 2008 (AFP) - Kuwait's private low-cost Jazeera Airways said on Monday it will provide passengers with inflight mobile telephone services from later this year.

The service will also include SMS text messages and Internet, the company said, without giving an exact date for the launch.

Jazeera, which began operations in October 2005, has six Airbus A320s and flies to about 25 destinations in the Middle East and Asia besides Cyprus and Turkey at highly reduced fares.

The Dubai-based airline Emirates announced on March 20 that it has become the first carrier in the world to commercially launch an inflight mobile telephone service.