Nearly one-third of college students now have their own mobile phones and over half are expected to have cellular phones within the next two years.

Most students use those phones today only to call home or talk to friends. But if Sunil Deshmukh has his way, the hand-held phone or pager will soon be more important to students than their backpack or textbooks.

Mr. Deshmukh, CEO and founder of Student Online.com, pitched his high-tech vision Wednesday in Chattanooga to administrators of nearly a dozen historically black colleges eager to close "the digital divide" between black and white Americans over Internet usage.

The New York internet startup will provide a new type of window to the world for college students. On their mobile phones, students will be able to receive and send messages about their college classes, campus events and local concerts, among other events. The same device will also allow them to buy goods and services from among several vendors without even leaving their dorms.

Student Online has spent over $500,000 developing software applications that will facilitate intra-campus communication.

"The potential is enormous," Mr. Deshmukh said. "College students tend to have mobile phones; they are the most Internet savvy of any group; they need information about their campus community, and they are apt to buy particular books, CDs or travel services over the Web. This could be the portal in higher education."

The technology should eventually allow students to register for classes online, receive assignments and homework on their mobile phone and organize their day around calendars constantly updated on palm-held devices.

Student Online.com is not alone in trying to develop Internet connections among college students. A new service provider called eCollege.com enables schools to offer online teaching and assistance. Campus Pipeline Inc. is working to develop common Web platforms to create a virtual community among students, faculty, staff and alumni.

But Student Online is the first to offer such connections in a wireless mode and without the banner advertisements that help pay for other services. Student Online makes its money -- some of which it will share with its university partners -- from e-commerce sales offered to students online through a school-branded "collective buying group." Student Online also offers to share revenues generated by the sale of wireless hardware and monthly service fees on school-branded mobile phones and pagers.

To help promote the new venture, Student Online has pledged to provide its intranet portal connections to 25 colleges and universities across the South at no cost. The company is also planning to provide grants from $150,000 to $500,000 later this year to each of 10 colleges to allow the campuses to have an on-site portal through Student Online.com.

The company is trying to build a nationwide network to sell goods and services to the nation's 16 million college students online. The colleges are eager to gain the online, wireless services to deliver and receive individualized messages from every student and to upgrade computer services without having to spend more money.

"We look at this as a way to integrate our students with cutting edge technology and to even make money for our college in the process," said Dr. Vernon Cviock of the University of the District of Columbia -- one of those who attended Wednesday's seminar on Student Online.

Dr. Sylvester Oliver of Rust College said Student Online will help upgrade computer services without additional expenditures by cash-strapped schools.

"We're eager to close the digital divide for us as small colleges trying to buy the best technology," he said.

Wednesday's conference in Chattanooga was organized by Dr. Jean Howard-Hill, a Chattanooga native and chief consultant for Innovative Learning Educational, Research, Training and Technology Consultants in Chattanooga.