Several of the globe's largest operators are pushing initiatives to make instant messaging as pervasive as SMS. Vodafone, China Mobile, Telefonica Moviles, Orange and T-Mobile International are part of 15 operators trying to create a parallel value stream to their lucrative SMS businesses. Unlike text messaging, mobile IM offers a familiar messaging platform because it's commonly used on PCs. In addition, mobile IM allows users to manage a list of contacts, check their availability online and send one message to groups of users. Operators believe customers will be willing to pay for these features in a mobile environment, even though IM is free on PC connections.
For more information about these operators' global IM initiative:
- read this story from The Washington Post