Fastmobile, a leading mobile integrated communications company, and its technological partner, Jataayu Software, recently announced that members of the Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI) have selected fastmobile and Jataayu to provide a range of services that will enable them to offer new services to mobile communities.

The COAI includes all the cellular operators in India, i.e., Airtel, Hutch, IDEA Cellular, BPL Mobile, Aircel, MTNL, BSNL, Reliance Mobile and Spice Telecom. This deal to deploy instant messaging services will be the first one to adhere to the principles of the GSM Association’s Personal IM initiative, which was launched at the 2006 3GSM (News - Alert) World Congress.

In a country like India, which has wide cultural and economical differences, innovation is the only mantra to succeed. This deal will provide an opportunity to the cellular operators in India to offer new services such as instant messaging, email and presence-based address books. This feature also enables content-sharing IM buddies for major events. With the arrival of World cup cricket in March, this feature can be very popular with the cricket crazy Indian public, if the mobile companies can offer this service before the world cup. The cellular operators can also explore new commercial avenues such as person-to-person commerce and contextual advertising services.

India is the fastest growing mobile market in the world with a lot of untapped market for the taking. By the end of 2007, the cellular operators in India expect to serve nearly 200 million subscribers. This new deal aims at providing a rich, seamless mobile communication experience for the existing and potential mobile users.

Jataayu and fastmobile will work together to deliver a StandardsPLUS IM client to all COAI operator members. To provide sophisticated messaging services on a mass scale, and to make advanced mobile phone features more user friendly, adoption of this standard is imperative for the cellular operators. Initially, fastmobile will deploy its StandardsPLUS fmX1.5 (fastmobile eXperience) client with IMPS functionality provided by Jataayu.

About fastmobile
fastmobile is a leader in the development and provisioning of easy to use integrated messaging, content access and value added services in a single client and server solution. It develops platforms that enable mobile network operators and other customers to integrate messaging, content access and other customized features in a single, clear and simple user interface.

When cellular operators team up with fastmobile, they can offer instant messaging services that include IM (private & 3rd party) SMS, email and voice.

About Jataayu Software
Jataayu Software, is a subsidiary of Integra Micro Systems (P) Ltd and a pioneer in the Mobile Internet domain in India. Jataayu provides products, applications, professional services and consulting for its clients. Current offerings of the company include products and customization services in WAP 2.0, MMS, SMS, SyncML, Instant Messaging and related wireless technologies for Mobile Operators, Mobile Devices, Enterprises, and Portals.

About COAI
Constituted in 1995, The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) is a registered, non-governmental, non-profit society committed to the advancement of modern communication through Cellular Mobile Telephone Services.

The company has a vision to establish and sustain a world-class cellular infrastructure and facilitate affordable mobile communication services in India.

IP Multimedia Subsystems, a way to bridge the circuit-switched technology of yesteryear to the packet-switched realm of tomorrow, represents the lifeblood for service providers today. And the best way to understand all of the implications of this next-generation enabling technology is to make the IMS EXPO a must-attend event, collocated with INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO EAST, January 23–26, 2007. See you in sunny Ft. Lauderdale!

--------

Raju Shanbhag is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To see more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.