Cingular Wireless and Melodeo today announced the availability of Melodeo’s Mobilcast podcast service. Cingular customers can now search and listen to thousands of podcasts on their Cingular phone.

“Mobilcast further enables the mobile news and entertainment capabilities of your cell phone by providing quick and simple access to podcast favorites while on the go,” said Jim Ryan, vice president, consumer data services, Cingular Wireless. “We are excited to team with Melodeo to provide a rich selection of audio content that appeals to an array of interests.”

Cingular customers can listen to continuously updated podcast episodes from popular sources such as NPR, The New York Times, CBS, FOX and MSNBC, as well as thousands of independent podcasts from all over the world. The programs cover a wide range of subjects including comedy, music, sports, education, health, music and politics.

“For the first time, Cingular customers are able to use their mobile phone to tune in to their favorite podcasts, stop at any point in a podcast to answer a call, and then pick up from the exact place they left off,” said Don Davidge, Melodeo Founder and Senior Vice President of Sales.

The Mobilcast service is compatible with most Cingular handsets. The service is available for a monthly subscription cost of $4.99 and kilobyte usage charges apply.