ICQ AND SMART COMMUNICATIONS ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT TO BRING ICQ WIRELESS MESSAGING SERVICES TO THE PHILLIPENES
Agreement Will Enable Smart Subscribers to Send and Receive ICQ Messages Anywhere, Anytime from Various Mobile Devices
Agreement Includes ICQ 2-WAY SMS (Short Message Service), ICQ for SMS, ICQ for WAP (Wireless Access Protocol), including GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and ICQ for J2ME TM
Dulles, VA, and -- June, 2002 -- ICQ ("I Seek You"), a world leading online communications community and international service from America Online, Inc., and Smart, the Philippine's leading wireless carrier, today announced an agreement that will enable Smart's subscribers to communicate in real time via wireless devices with friends, family and business associates who are using ICQ around the world. The ICQ messaging service offers Smart's more than four million subscribers use of ICQ 2-way SMS (Short Messaging Service), ICQ for SMS, ICQ for WAP (Wireless Access Protocol), including GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and ICQ for J2METM.
With ICQ two-way SMS, Smart subscribers can send and receive instant messages using their SMS enabled phones with any ICQ user connected via a desktop, mobile phone PDA or other wireless devices. ICQ users worldwide also have the ability to send messages using ICQ on desktop's, cellular phones or PDAs directly to Smart wireless subscribers (as well as subscribers of 170 networks globally.). ICQ users can also send SMS text messages around the world from both the messaging center on the ICQ web site to Smart subscribers. Although the cellular phones receiving these messages must be SMS-enabled, the recipients do not need to be ICQ users.
The ICQ for WAP and ICQ for SMS products allows Smart subscribers to access their list of ICQ friends on the phone, see who is online and available to chat at any given moment, search for new or old friends, send and receive messages. New users can register to ICQ using their phone.
The ICQ for J2METM product makes use of the enhanced Java phones capabilities to bring the ICQ experience on the phone to a new level.
Together, these ICQ wireless offerings complement each other by bringing the ICQ experience directly to the cellular phone while catering to different phone technologies, different user preferences, and different user needs.
"We are pleased to welcome SMART's 4 million subscribers to ICQ's family of 135 million registered users. By providing quick and easy access to ICQ's powerful suite of services for mobile devices -- users will have more ways than ever to stay in touch with their friends and family around the globe," said Ariel Yarnitsky, co- general manager of ICQ. "We look forward to further extending our ICQ Anywhere strategy to the Philippine market, making it even more convenient to send messages across any number of different platforms."
About ICQ
ICQ is wholly owned by America Online, Inc. ICQ was created in 1996 by the Israel-based company, Mirabilis, and acquired by AOL in 1998. ICQ is a world leading communications community with over 135 million registered users worldwide. On days when connected to ICQ, users spend an average of nearly 4 hours on the service. ICQ offers the most robust instant messaging and enhanced communications features in the market today. The product is available for free at www.icq.com.
ICQ is part of AOL Web Properties, an online network featuring some of the most popular brands on the Internet, including Netscape, CompuServe, ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger, MapQuest and MovieFone. The AOL Web properties network reaches the widest audience on the Internet representing more than 60 percent of Internet audience at work or home.
Agreement Includes ICQ 2-WAY SMS (Short Message Service), ICQ for SMS, ICQ for WAP (Wireless Access Protocol), including GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and ICQ for J2ME TM
Dulles, VA, and -- June, 2002 -- ICQ ("I Seek You"), a world leading online communications community and international service from America Online, Inc., and Smart, the Philippine's leading wireless carrier, today announced an agreement that will enable Smart's subscribers to communicate in real time via wireless devices with friends, family and business associates who are using ICQ around the world. The ICQ messaging service offers Smart's more than four million subscribers use of ICQ 2-way SMS (Short Messaging Service), ICQ for SMS, ICQ for WAP (Wireless Access Protocol), including GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and ICQ for J2METM.
With ICQ two-way SMS, Smart subscribers can send and receive instant messages using their SMS enabled phones with any ICQ user connected via a desktop, mobile phone PDA or other wireless devices. ICQ users worldwide also have the ability to send messages using ICQ on desktop's, cellular phones or PDAs directly to Smart wireless subscribers (as well as subscribers of 170 networks globally.). ICQ users can also send SMS text messages around the world from both the messaging center on the ICQ web site to Smart subscribers. Although the cellular phones receiving these messages must be SMS-enabled, the recipients do not need to be ICQ users.
The ICQ for WAP and ICQ for SMS products allows Smart subscribers to access their list of ICQ friends on the phone, see who is online and available to chat at any given moment, search for new or old friends, send and receive messages. New users can register to ICQ using their phone.
The ICQ for J2METM product makes use of the enhanced Java phones capabilities to bring the ICQ experience on the phone to a new level.
Together, these ICQ wireless offerings complement each other by bringing the ICQ experience directly to the cellular phone while catering to different phone technologies, different user preferences, and different user needs.
"We are pleased to welcome SMART's 4 million subscribers to ICQ's family of 135 million registered users. By providing quick and easy access to ICQ's powerful suite of services for mobile devices -- users will have more ways than ever to stay in touch with their friends and family around the globe," said Ariel Yarnitsky, co- general manager of ICQ. "We look forward to further extending our ICQ Anywhere strategy to the Philippine market, making it even more convenient to send messages across any number of different platforms."
About ICQ
ICQ is wholly owned by America Online, Inc. ICQ was created in 1996 by the Israel-based company, Mirabilis, and acquired by AOL in 1998. ICQ is a world leading communications community with over 135 million registered users worldwide. On days when connected to ICQ, users spend an average of nearly 4 hours on the service. ICQ offers the most robust instant messaging and enhanced communications features in the market today. The product is available for free at www.icq.com.
ICQ is part of AOL Web Properties, an online network featuring some of the most popular brands on the Internet, including Netscape, CompuServe, ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger, MapQuest and MovieFone. The AOL Web properties network reaches the widest audience on the Internet representing more than 60 percent of Internet audience at work or home.