Cingular Wireless is expected to begin partnering with online music services, including Napster Inc., Yahoo Inc.'s Yahoo Music and eMusic, to launch a music service on its cell phone network, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

The move by Cingular may set the stage for a battle with Apple's iPod. The service would work on cell phones that double as music players.

Cingular's service initially will support transferring music from personal computers to cell phones using a cable.

Users will be able to transfer music acquired from subscription services like Napster to Go, Yahoo's Y Music Unlimited or eMusic, which is owned by Dimensional Associates Inc., the Journal reported.

They will also be able to transfer songs ripped from CDs or downloaded in the MP3 and Windows Media formats, the paper said, citing sources familiar with the matter.