GSM Association Press Releases 2007
Operators Exchange Instant Messages Across Networks
12th February
2007 - Barcelona, Spain: Mobile operators in Spain and Italy are on the verge of launching services that will enable their customers to exchange instant messages across networks as part of the worldwide Personal IM campaign run by the GSM Association, the global trade association for mobile operators. These new services also allow instant messages to be transferred as text messages (SMS), where necessary, ensuring a large community of potential users right from launch.
Telefonica and Vodafone Spain and Telecom Italia and Vodafone Italy are ready to rollout IM services based on a technical and commercial framework developed by the GSMA to maximise ease-of-use, interoperability and reliability, while minimising spam and viruses. T-Mobile and Orange are also planning to launch IM services based on the GSMA framework during 2007, enabling mobile users in Germany, the U.K. and France to also exchange instant messages across mobile networks.
The Personal IM campaign is also gaining momentum in Asia, where mobile operators in India are rolling out services that will enable their customers to initiate IM sessions with friends on other networks In total, about 40 mobile operators in more than 55 countries with more than one billion customers are now participating in the Personal IM campaign. Operators in Malaysia, Pakistan, South Africa and Thailand, for example, are also planning to launch interoperable IM services this year.
"We now have in place a global standard that will allow mobile users across the world to enjoy a rich IM experience, encompassing presence information, immediacy of delivery and a conversational-style dialogue," said Rob Conway, the CEO of the GSMA. "Crucially, we have also designed Personal IM to be fully compatible with SMS ensuring this new and exciting service will have a very large community of users right from launch."
Since Personal IM was introduced one year ago at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona, the GSMA and mobile operators have enhanced the original concept to enable users to also exchange messages with SMS users, developed implementation guides and interworking agreement templates to ensure interoperability across networks and have worked with vendors on extensive interoperability testing. As a result, operators worldwide will now be able to easily rollout personal IM services, which are interoperable with similar services from other operators, and will be able to transfer messages between IM users and their existing community of SMS users.
Vodafone, Telefónica, Telecom Italia, T-Mobile and Orange have signed, or are about to sign, interconnect agreements with each other, paving the way for the rollout of interoperable IM services.
Notes to editors:
The GSMA's Personal IM commercial and technical framework is based on the principles that have made voice calls and text messaging such popular services:
- Ease of use - automatic authentication and billing
- Security - SIM card verifies identity and the commercial model deters spam
- Reliability - services are tracked end to end
- Interoperability - services work across networks
- Cost transparency - initiating party pays, a simple and clear way to charge
About the GSM Association:
The GSM Association (GSMA) is the global trade association representing 700 GSM mobile phone operators across 218 countries of the world. In addition, more than 200 manufacturers and suppliers support the Association's initiatives as key partners. The primary goals of the GSMA are to ensure mobile phones and wireless services work globally and are easily accessible, enhancing their value to individual customers and national economies, while creating new business opportunities for operators and their suppliers. The Association's members serve more than two billion customers - 82% of the world's mobile phone users. See: www.gsmworld.com & www.3gsmworldcongress.com
For more information please contact:
Mark Smith / David Pringle
GSM Association
Email:press@gsm.org
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