NeuStar Delivers Mobile Messaging in Germany
Communications company NeuStar has announced today (May 26) that mobile operator Telefonica O2 Germany has selected NeuStar’s Next Generation Messaging (NGM) services to power its mobile Instant Messaging (IM) service in Germany.
Specifically, O2 will deploy NeuStar’s Mobile Messaging Gateway (MMG) to deliver mobile IM solutions to O2’s 14.7 million customers in Germany, says NeuStar. Working with IM provider ICQ, NeuStar will enable O2’s customers in Germany to communicate with ICQ’s 42 million IM users worldwide.
Among the other IM services, a cross-platform mobile instant messaging provider, SHAPE Services, is ready to support Facebook chat and avatars in its IM+ messenger for BlackBerry smartphones. Facebook users can exchange text instant messages with smileys, send files, log in into multiple accounts simultaneously and preview avatar images of their buddies in contact list.
According to the company, IM+ 7.0 supports eight instant messaging services: AIM/iChat, MSN/Windows Live, Yahoo!, MySpaceIM, Jabber, ICQ, GoogleTalk, and Facebook. Also, IM+ works on all BlackBerry smartphones, and has a special version for touch-screen BlackBerry Storm.
O2 subscribers in Germany will be able to access the ICQ mobile IM client instantly from their mobile handsets, with similar functionality that they expect from PC-based IM.
The service will be promoted to all subscribers, and is available at launch as a downloadable client on handsets including Nokia, Sony Ericsson, and Samsung devices.
