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The Roman Catholic archbishop of Vancouver's public scolding of Telus Corp. has experts predicting that the phone company's decision to offer pornographic photos and videos to customers could mean sacrificing its image in favour of the bottom line.

Canada's second-largest phone company became the first major wireless carrier here or in the United States to openly offer pay-per-download adult content to its domestic clients through their cellphones with a new service launched last month, according to a U.S.-based international association for the wireless telecommunications industry.

But its real landmark may be that it became the first carrier in North America to cross the line separating social responsibility from profits.

"To my knowledge, certainly no one is offering any content that is considered adult content [in the United States]," said Joe Ferran, spokesman for CTIA -- The Wireless Association.

In the United States, where cellphone companies act as gatekeepers when it comes to adult content, carriers have traditionally favoured the family-friendly image than the financial rewards of distributing pornography.

Telus's image as a family company may change in the minds of some customers, but the payoffs from the new service would offset that, said wireless analyst David Chamberlain.

"[Cellphones are] one of the few things that are really private. Your mobile phone is like your wallet or your purse. People don't go through that. It's personal, unlike most of the other outlets for [pornography] -- DVDs or the Internet."

Archbishop Raymond Roussin's statement last weekend that he is considering cancelling contracts with Telus because its plan takes the "accessibility of pornographic material further into the public realm," comes as no surprise to Mr. Chamberlain.

"The English-speaking countries really do get up in arms about it," said the principal analyst at In-Stat, an Arizona-based telecommunications consulting company. "Canada and the U.S. are much more culturally conservative than our counterparts in Europe and Asia."

But he said the complaints may not accurately reflect what people want. He cited evidence that Utah, considered to be one of the most conservative states, had the highest use for soft-core porn on cable TV.

"Why is that? I don't know. I think it is perhaps just plain old hypocrisy."

Jim Johannsson, the media relations director for Telus, said the company has received complaints from more than 150 people threatening to take their business elsewhere. A spokesman for Archbishop Roussin said several Catholics in the Vancouver area have cancelled their subscriptions.

Even so, Telus said it saw an untapped market.

"Any cellphones equipped with Internet browsers have been able to access content unrestricted for two years," Mr. Johannsson said, noting that Telus found about 20 per cent of search terms entered by clients on their mobile browsers were intended to find adult content, with 13 of the top 25 websites accessed being pornography websites.

Each photo or one- to two-minute video available for download, featuring partial and full nudity of male and female models alone, costs $3 to $4, and is directly downloadable from Telus, he said.

"We're giving consumers the option to access it in a responsible way, with proper age verification and ensuring that the content is actually legal for download in Canada."

He dismissed the notion that porn on mobile devices could get into the hands of minors.

"It's easier for somebody to get the adult content off their TV at home, off the Internet at home, from a magazine in a convenience store or watching regular broadcast television than it is to download from Telus," he said.

Although rivals Rogers Wireless and Bell Canada don't sell adult content on cellphones, they would not comment on future plans to provide the service.

The market for adult content on mobile devices is expected to generate $14.5-billion (U.S.) in revenue between 2006 and 2011, British-based telecommunications analyst firm Juniper Research said in a report released last year.

Detective Wendy Leaver, of the Toronto police sex crimes unit, said that it's frustrating to know that "they'll probably make a fortune, but it's morally irresponsible."