Synchronica plc is buying Neustar’s Instant Messaging (IM) business for $251,000 (£155,000). The deal includes 11 existing customer contracts with Tier 1 and Tier 2 operators, including Vodafone and Optimus in Portugal, SFR in France, Turkcell in Turkey, Hutchinson 3 in Hong Kong, and Vimpelcom and MegaFon in Russia. It also includes two contracts with Tier 1 device manufacturers, plus accounts, intellectual property, patents and software, and all other associated assets. As part of the deal, Synchronica also assumes a clearly defined pool of liabilities, including the ongoing, paid-for support of the live customer deployments. Synchronica’s directors say the acquired business will be accretive (increase earnings per share) in 2011.

The technologies and services involved in the deal include Mobile Instant Messaging; Intercarrier Communications Process (ICP), which enables operators to offer their customers IM interconnectivity; mobile social networking; Operator Communities, in which subscribers can create customized personal profiles, check whether friends are online and what they are doing, chat in realtime, and share pictures and other media; an Enhanced Address Book; and the Rich Communication Suite (RCS). This is an initiative led by the GSM Association (GSMA), with the support of a wide range of operators and vendors. It aims to provide an enhanced communication experience to subscribers through a suite of interoperable and interconnected services and applications. RCS enablers include the Instant Messaging Service Center (IMSC), which provides the enhanced messaging capability, and the Presence Server Platform, enabling the Enhanced Address Book.

Synchronica says it intends to continue to support Neustar NGMs open standards-based IM technology and plans to integrate key elements of the software into its Mobile Gateway product line. Synchronica will propose a roadmap and transition to Synchronica Mobile Gateway to its existing customers, extending the range of services from IM to push email, synchronization, and social networking.

“We are delighted to acquire these assets, further accelerating our business, and cementing our position as the leading provider of next-generation messaging services for mobile operators and device manufacturers,” says Synchronica CEO, Carsten Brinkschulte. “We are looking forward to working with our new customers; Synchronica is committed to continue support for these products and providing a vision and roadmap, including synergies with other Synchronica messaging products.”