The Amazon Kindle won't be released in Germany because of a disagreement over connection fees, according to a German business weekly.

The Wirtschaftswoche magazine reports that Amazon boss Jeff Bezos has been unable to strike a deal with the main wireless companies in Germany, T-Mobile and Vodafone.

They want to charge more money for access to their networks than Amazon is willing to accept.

The wireless connection is vital for Amazon's electronic book-device because it downloads its content from the Internet.

The gadget, which lets you download everything from books to magazines to newspaper subscriptions, is a big hit in the United States, where a third generation model is already available.

A competing product, the Sony Reader, arrived in Germany three months ago, but is a little less convenient because users must connect it to the internet via a computer every time they want new content.

nw/dpa
Editor: Andy Valvur