Network management Toolkit

Instant messaging alliance may be close

Ina Fried CNET News.com

Published: 12 Oct 2005 09:50 BST

Microsoft and Yahoo are close to a pact that would allow users of their respective instant messaging (IM) services to exchange messages with one another, a source told CNET News.com on Tuesday.

The exchange of both text and voice messages is being considered, although the source stressed that details of the pact are still being finalised. The two companies are planning to announce the deal on Wednesday, the source said.

A Microsoft representative declined to comment on the matter. A Yahoo representative was not immediately available for comment.

The three major IM providers — Yahoo, Microsoft and AOL — have talked about interoperability for some time, but there has been only limited progress.

For some months now, workers at businesses running Microsoft's Live Communications Server have been able to exchange text messages across multiple instant messaging programs. However, consumers have had to manage multiple accounts in order to use more than one of the big three services: AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Messenger and MSN Messenger. Third-party programs like Trillian or Adium allow users to connect to multiple services within a single program.

Details of the Yahoo-Microsoft agreement were reported earlier Tuesday by the Wall Street Journal.

CNET News.com's Alorie Gilbert contributed to this report.

Did you find this article useful?
61 out of 140 people found this useful

Post a comment

Full Talkback thread

0 comments

More In Network management

Company/Topic Alerts

Create a new alert from the list below:

Related Jobs

Messaging support analyst- Investment banking city based

Key skills: Windows 2000/2003 server infrastructures Adv experience of messaging infrastructures Advknowledge of Office Communicator Server or Live ...

IT Analysts and Consultants - Workplace Technologies and Collaboration

Messaging solutions such as Exchange and Lotus Notes, Sharepoint, MOSS, Office Communication Server, Live Meeting, Lotus Sametime). Terminal ...

Messaging Support Analyst at Top Investment Bank

Successful candidate will have current extensive experience within a messaging support team within an investment bank, working with Exchange 2000 and ...

Featured Talkback

Could it be that ISP’s are making this out to be a bigger problem than it actually is? We’re a small country with an internet penetration of less than 60%, for every Youtuber there’s someone who only uses the internet to check their emails, more people surf on their mobile handsets than a few years ago. Surely things should even themselves up.