Altech Cellular launches Mobile Chat
Stephen Blewett, MD of Altech Autopage Cellular, describes Mobile Chat as a first in the local telecommunications market, as it enables anyone with a cellphone to use IM to communicate with their contacts, regardless of what IM software their contacts have chosen.
“The technology behind Mobile Chat overcomes the limitations of existing instant messaging services for mobile phones which are based on different and competing software platforms. With existing instant messaging products and services within the marketplace you need to download the same software to your handset as those that you want to communicate with have stored on their cellphones.
“With Mobile Chat by Altech Autopage Cellular the subscriber can communicate with anyone who has an IM account anywhere in the world, either on their mobile handset or computer. IM is now truly mobilised,” Blewett adds.
IM is real-time text communication between two or more individuals sent over a network such as the Internet, or using cellular technology.
It was originally taken up by Internet subscribers who communicated through computer software programmes. In recent years competing technologies that extended IM to mobile communication have become popular. Worldwide there are more than 250m people using IM.
IM is different from SMS messaging because once users are online they communicate back and forth without having to send a new message each time they respond. Mobile Chat uses a GPRS connection so subscribers only pay for the information they send and receive (around 2c per message).
Loading ...