Yahoo! IM on Reliance Mobiles

Yahoo! India has joined hands with Reliance Communications to offer Yahoo! Instant Messenger (IM) for Reliance mobile customers across India.

This alliance marks a powerful partnership to offer a rich, live IM PC experience on Reliance mobile phones.

It is learnt that with this first-of-its-kind initiative, Reliance Communications is the first telecom service provider in the world to offer Mobile IM across Java, BREW, and WAP enabled phones on a mobile operator network.

Mobile IM will allow Reliance Mobile customers to chat live with other Reliance customers and Yahoo! IM users in the world using their PCs. Customers can send instant messages, and chat online with their friends and family, using Yahoo! IM features like simultaneous multi-chat windows, presence status icons, emoticons, Yahoo! personal contact list and profile, and viewing off-line messages amongst others.

Speaking on the occasion, Mahesh Prasad, President of Applications Content and Solutions Group, Reliance Communications, said, "As an innovation leader, Reliance is bridging the digital divide by extending the Internet-rich IM experience of PCs to its mobile subscribers for the first time in India. This brings us one step closer towards the convergence of mobiles and PCs."

Talking about this alliance, George Zacharias, Managing Director of Yahoo! India, said, "We are glad to partner with Reliance for Mobile IM services in India. This unique service will add a new dimension in enhancing our user experience, and provide yet another compelling way to stay connected, instantly, and at all times."

Meanwhile, Yahoo! IM for mobile is available on all BREW, WAP, and Nokia color handsets using Java technologies. Reliance mobile customers can access Mobile IM by clicking on Reliance Mobile World > Hot n New> Yahoo! Msgr. Customers will be charged Rs 5 for each session logged, and can send and receive unlimited instant messages.