Comverse (News - Alert), a subsidiary of Comverse Technology, Inc., and a supplier of software and systems enabling network-based multimedia enhanced communication and billing services, has announced that kajeet, a new Maryland-based pay-as-you-go cell phone service made for children and their parents, has selected Comverse Mobile IM for mobile instant messaging (IM).

“kajeet is a cell phone service that’s all about kids and Mobile IM is a compelling must-have service for our young, technologically savvy users,” said Daniel Neal, CEO of kajeet, in a Tuesday statement.

“Comverse has created a hosted Mobile IM solution that is exactly on our wavelength, providing the fun and engaging experience that our teen and tween customers seek, while providing kajeet with a low setup cost and a quick time to market. Our partnership with Comverse leverages their expertise, and their high level of responsiveness and customer support. They are a strong partner who shares our desire to offer a best-in-class experience for our customers that encourages wide usage.”

Comverse Mobile IM provides mobile instant messaging with a PC-like IM experience designed to encourage immediate service adoption and usage. The service enables kajeet users anywhere and at anytime to keep in touch with their IM buddies from the convenience of their mobile handsets using AOL’s (News - Alert) Mobile AIM service.

“Real-time two-way and multi-party chat-like communication is essential for an innovative youth-oriented operator like kajeet,” said Ramesh Barasia, President of Comverse Americas, in Tuesday’s statement.

“Much of Comverse Mobile IM’s global success stems from its flexibility to quickly meet the exact requirements of a wide variety of operators — from emerging greenfields to tier-1 giants. Comverse Mobile IM can be implemented as a hosted solution or in-network as part of the Comverse InSight™ Open Services Environment, and is a key presence-enabled application that can support and enhance a wide range of differentiating communication and content services.”

The buzz around elementary schools among students as young as second grade is all about cell phones. While parents see the benefit of staying in constant touch with their children, they also see a financial burden and level of responsibility that their child may not be ready to handle.

With kajeet, the service is designed with the kids in mind. Not only does it offer pay-as-you-go service – keeping the control firmly with the parent – it also offers the mobile entertainment, customization and communication that the kids are seeking. They have access to something “cool,” while mom and dad can feel good about the limits they can impose with this new technology.

Such a combination is a perfect platform for Comverse Mobile IM. Kids are using IM services as if their lives depended on it and kajeet needed to be able to offer a platform that could not only handle the volume, but also provide the features that kids demand. The result is an innovative solution that is sure to garner much attention in the market.

Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMC (News - Alert) (News - Alert) and has also written for eastbiz.com. To see more of her articles, please visit Susan J. Campbell’s columnist page.