Mobile operators to push instant messaging

Fifteen major mobile phone networks have joined forces to push instant messaging (IM) over mobiles, says BBC news.

The operators, including Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile and China Mobile, will cooperate to make it easier to use IM across networks in a bid to cash in on IM`s success on the Internet.

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MS CEO Steve Ballmer has affirmed his commitment to wireless computing with the announcement of several new products and initiatives, including a mobile version of the company`s corporate IM system, PCMag reports.

"We`ve spent the last 10 or 15 years really building out the infrastructure," Ballmer said in a keynote speech at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona. "But it`s really the mobile device that completes this picture."

Ballmer introduced Communicator Mobile, which brings corporate-level IM, presence awareness and integrated voice over IP telephony to devices that run Microsoft`s Windows Mobile operating system. Communicator Mobile is due within the next 60 days and will be available for download to customers who use the company`s Live Communication Server software.

The US-based Anti-Phishing Working Group says corporate phishing is on the increase, with attackers often using IM to contact their victims, as many businesses use messaging networks internally, reports Vnunet.

The Working Group`s CE, David Jevans, told the RSA Conference in San Jos'e this week that the group had spotted about a new record number of around 9 000 phishing Web sites in January, up from last December`s record number of 7 197.

CipherTrust has appointed Cypher Data Solutions as a South African distributor. CipherTTrust said in a statement that SA represents a key opportunity for the development and growth of its messaging security product suite.

Cypher Data is wholly focused on the distribution and support of CipherTrust`s flagship e-mail security gateway appliance, IronMail as well as the complete CipherTrust messaging security product suite.

AMEInfo reports that Bahrain Telecommunication Company (Batelco) is to offer phone users an SMS personalisation system by Openmind Networks.

The My SMS offering gives customers new, value added SMS services.

The personalisation of messaging services offers a new approach to increasing ARPU by putting the power of managing the specifics of services into the subscriber`s hands. The subscriber is offered a suite of value added SMS services and they can set up their own services via a mobile operator portal, SMS short code or WAP.