Etisalat Rolls Out Advanced MIM Service

United Arab Emirates (UAE) telco Etisalat has launched a text and multimedia Mobile IM (MIM) service powered by Colibrias Instant Messaging & Presence Service (IMPS).
The Etisalat Messenger service enables subscribers to communicate with both individuals and groups via MIM, and also incorporates Presence to allow subscribers to publish their presence status, picture and mood to their contacts. The Etisalat-branded service will be available in both English and Arabic across a broad range of J2ME and Symbian devices, and through a separate PC client.
The Etisalat Messenger service allows interworking with SMS to enable communication with 'SMS only' users in the subscribers contact list. Offline IM users can also receive messages via SMS if they choose.
Colibria CEO Keith Gibson says:
With todays consumers increasingly searching for new, exciting and interactive ways of communicating, Etisalat recognised that MIM presents one of the largest business opportunities to drive additional revenues since the launch of SMS. As one of the Middle East's leading mobile operators, Etisalat is in a strong position to demonstrate how feature-rich services such as MIM can compliment established services. The Colibria platform also allows this service to be upgraded to include application access and social network access as required.
Etisalat operates in 17 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and has 9.7 million mobile, fixed line and Internet subscribers in the UAE.