Yahoo and MSN are expected to link up their free instant messaging services in the second quarter of 2006. Consumers from both communities can chat, send voice calls and emoticons.


Microsoft and Yahoo will link up their free instant messaging services.

Consumers of Microsoft’s MSN and Yahoo Messenger Services will be able to interact with each other through chat, voice calls, emoticons. They can also add new contacts from either service to their friends’ list.

The Microsoft Press Release announces this as a “landmark agreement”.

“The industry’s first interoperability agreement between two distinct leading global consumer IM providers will give MSN Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger users the ability to interact with each other, forming what is expected to be the largest consumer IM community in the world, estimated to be more than 275 million strong”. [source]

Consumers want to send instant messages between IM communities and that is one of the features most requested by MSN Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger users.

The combined service will enable consumers to:

exchange instant messages between MSN and Yahoo Messenger
see the friends’ online presence in both services
share select emoticons
add new contacts from either service to the friends’ list

Terry Semel, Yahoo Chief Executive, said, “This is truly a turning point for the IM industry, and we believe our agreement with Microsoft will help usher in a new era of IP communications”. [source]

 

 

 

 

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