Advertisment

AOL unveils mobile services, strikes deals

author-image
CIOL Bureau
Updated On
New Update

Sinead Carew



NEW ORLEANS: America Online Inc. unveiled new mobile services, including streaming music and navigation features for cell phones, and said it struck deals with Cingular, Nextel and Research In Motion Ltd.



The online unit of Time Warner Inc. debuted the new services, including one that helps users swap and organize their photos on their cell phones, at the CTIA wireless show here.



AOL also said it agreed to put services, such as its instant messenger and e-mail, in Research In Motion's popular Blackberry mobile e-mail device. Cingular Wireless, a venture of SBC Communications Inc. and BellSouth Corp. plans to use the photo swapping service from AOL, it said.



Nextel Communications has also agreed to sell the company's latest MapQuest service, AOL said.



Although AOL is the world's largest Internet service provider, it has been losing subscribers in recent years and is looking for new markets to grow. Analysts have said that leadership in the mobile Web is still up for grabs among Internet companies.



All the big U.S. mobile providers support AOL's instant messages on cell phones, but only a few million people out of roughly 176 million U.S. mobile subscribers use this service.



AOL hopes the new agreements and features, such as digital photograph swapping between mobile phones and desktop computers, will boost its following among mobile customers.



"In our focus groups this was the No. 1 request of our mobile users," AOL mobile executive Himesh Bhise said, referring to picture swapping through AOL Instant Messenger (AIM).



The first version of AOL's Instant Picture feature will let desktop users send pictures to mobile phones through AIM and will let phone users reply with their own picture message. Cingular plans to offer this service along with an AOL digital photograph organizer for phones, AOL said.



By the third or fourth quarter an updated version will let mobile phone users initiate photo swaps between cell phones, desktop computers and other mobile phones, according to Bhise who said all the big U.S. providers are keen on this service.



AOL is currently working with developers such as Openwave to make the next generation service work in phones.



MUSIC, MAPS UP NEXT



The company also hopes to tap into the mobile music market, which is mainly limited to musical ring tones but is seen expanding with services that let consumers play whole songs.



For its part, AOL is developing a mobile version of Radio(at)AOL, a streaming music service that will deliver FM radio quality music to phones than can support media services.



AOL's MapQuest unit is also expanding its mobile map services by making use of Global Postioning System -- a satellite system that pinpoints location in some phones.



Operators are required by law to put location systems in phones to help emergency workers find 911 callers but most have yet to sell commercial services based on the technology.



MapQuest's software will make use of GPS to provide directions for nearby locations to customers of Nextel, the fifth-biggest U.S. operator. It will also deliver traffic data to phones in 90 U.S. cities.



It is also working with mobile providers to make this service available to AOL subscribers. AOL says it has also improved its mobile Web portal that delivers e-mail, news and weather information to phones.



Companies such as Comverse are also providing some technology behind the new AOL services.



(Additional reporting by Kenneth Li in New York)

tech-news