With Genie IM, BT Cellnet users can see if and when their contacts or "buddies" are online. They can also have instant two-way communication via the Web through their PC and/or mobile internet (WAP) phone using conventional GSM and high-speed GPRS mobile data networks. The service can also be used through a non-WAP enabled phone using short-messaging services (SMS), officials said.

This service is only available to BT Cellnet customers. To date, instant messaging in the UK has been restricted to PC-to-PC communication, Genie also said.

Genie said its IM differs from competitive services in the U.K. because it offers full compatibility with Microsoft MSN Messenger, meaning that users can add existing MSN "buddies" to their contact list. The company also said it is working with other fixed Internet portals and wireless operator partners to ensure cross-network interoperability.

Genie IM will be free to BT Cellnet customers and users of other mobile networks in the UK for the first three months. Genie IM will be rolled out to mmO2's other European businesses in Germany, Holland and Ireland later this year, officials also said.

Genie also said it has begun trials of multimedia messaging services (MMS). Customers can send and receive a combination of text, sounds, images and video as a single message with MMS. The service, which is planned to launch at the end of this year, is widely expected to be a key driver in encouraging mobile phone owners to move from GSM to GPRS, Genie said.

Additionally, Genie said it is negotiating with a number of infrastructure, device, handset, content and application partners to develop multimedia messaging for launch into the market by Christmas, 2002. Genie IM will be updated in the future with multimedia capability, through MMS.

Bob Woods is the managing editor of InstantMessagingPlanet.