Vodafone To Use Microsoft Messaging

(sub. req.) Vodafone has teamed up with Microsoft to let the 165 million users of Microsoft’s MSN IM service exchange messages with people using Vodafone cellphones. Until now Vodafone had been using its own IM client, but Vodafone admitted that this closed system hasn’t proved popular with its customers, which number about 120 million, mainly in Europe and Japan.
The company’s deal with MSN isn’t exclusive and doesn’t prevent Vodafone from making similar arrangements with rivals Yahoo or AOL. The service is expected to cheaper than SMS. It will launch in Italy, Spain and the Netherlands later in the summer.
The news comes out a day after T-Mobile announced its decision to use Google as its data homepage, and points to a trend of operators trying to open their closed content gardens.

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