mmO2 goes mobile messaging mad

mmO2 yesterday detailed plans to launch the "most customer friendly and comprehensive" multimedia messaging (MMS) service to date.

The service, called O2 media messaging, is to be available to both pre- and post- pay customers and offers immediate roaming across mmO2's four country networks (UK, Netherlands, Ireland and Germany) during October. The launch is backed by a major advertising campaign, kicking off in November.

O2 media messaging includes services accessible via the O2 portal such as applications which allow customers to store and manipulate their photos - to add speech bubbles or change friends into cartoons, for example - or create and send media messages online. Users will also be able to upload images to their personal 'photo album' or download content (such as pictures and sounds) from a multimedia library.

In the UK, price per message is £0.40. Customers may choose to 'bolt on' O2 media messaging to their existing tariff, reducing the price per media message to £0.28. O2 customers will not pay to receive media messages.

From launch, a range of MMS (media messging)-enabled devices will be available, including the Nokia 3510 (receive only), the Sony Ericcson T68i (with camera attachment) and the Nokia 7650. Other handsets - the Sharp GX1 (exclusive to mmO2 and available in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands), the Nokia 6610, Nokia 7210, Sony Ericcson T300 and Siemens S55 - will follow shortly.

A range of O2 media messaging text alerts, consisting of photographs and sound clips and covering sport, entertainment, gossip, news, travel, finance and weather will be available from a cost of £0.15.

MMS is the ability to send and receive messages that are 'richer' than today's text messages and can include a mix of personal photographs, pictures, graphics, sound recordings as well as text. Such messages can be created on an MMS-capable mobile phone or the Internet, and sent to other MMS-enabled mobile phones or email account.

mm02 expects the service to appeal to a broad range of its customers, particularly under 30s already hooked on text messaging. ®

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