Microsoft apparently intends to purchase a French mobile music service company called Musiwave, according to Electronista.

The technology would be implemented into "Microsoft’s more portable hardware and software services, including Windows Live, the Windows Mobile OS for smartphones, and the Zune media player."

Musiwave co-created an online service called MusicStation, "which lets cellphone users pay a weekly subscription fee in exchange for unlimited song downloads, similar to the monthly Zune Pass subscription."

This could be a good acquisition for Microsoft, especially if it does indeed extend the technology to Zune devices AND to Windows Mobile devices. The Zune could use such a feature to help it compete with the iPod Touch. If it had an all-you-can eat subscription option versus the Touch’s $1-per-song downloads, it might be able to gain some ground. And Windows Mobile, come on. We’ve been waiting for a direct-download subscription music service forever here.

Microsoft buys Musiwave; Zune Wi-Fi store? [Electronista]