Yahoo Messenger to be available for Globe clients

MANILA, Philippines - Yahoo! is extending the availability of its internet messaging application from the computer to the mobile phone by expanding its partnership with Globe Telecom, Inc. David Ko, Yahoo! Asia Pacific managing director and vice-president, announced at the 2nd Internet Mobile and Marketing Summit on Wednesday that the Yahoo! Messenger (Y!M) will soon be available to Globe subscribers after the two companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand their partnership. The partnership between Yahoo! and Ayala-led Globe started last year through Yahoo!’s oneSearch application which was first made available to Globe subscribers. At CommunicAsia in Singapore last June, Yahoo! announced similar partnerships with other Philippine mobile phone service providers Smart Communications, Inc. and Digitel Mobile Philippines, Inc. for its Sun Cellular brand. The expanded partnership with Globe includes an advertising partnership where advertisements can be posted on Globe’s WAP portal, exclusively sold and served by Yahoo! Ko said the expanded partnership with Globe is an indication that the partnership is successful, particularly given Yahoo!’s brand equity in the country. Yahoo! claims to have a market share of 90 percent of the internet community in the Philippines, the estimate of which is pegged between 14 million and 22 million users. Yahoo! also claims that its web properties, to include Yahoo! Messenger, Answers, Mail and Search, have created a strong brand equity in the Philippines. So strong is Yahoo!’s presence in the Philippine market that it has decided recently to set up a local office in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City which has become a virtual information technology center. Ko added that bringing Y!M to the mobile phone is in the company’s product road map. “It is a natural extension to take applications from the computer to the mobile phone," said Ko." We want to give consumers choice on whatever device, whether computer or mobile phone." Ko is even more optimistic of advertising prospects on mobile phones given that there are more mobile phone users in the country compared to computer access. While there are 22 million internet users, there is an estimated 60 million mobile phone subscribers. Globe has yet to formally announce when the Y!M application will be available. But in a statement, Globe Telecom has confirmed the extension of the existing partnership. In a statement, expressed confidence that their subscribers will welcome the new service. “We believe that Filipinos respond positively and enthusiastically to relevant and easy-to-use services and we are very pleased to bring the popular Yahoo! Messenger to users who want to stay connected even when they are on-the-go," said Minette Navarrete , Globe Telecom’s head of multimedia business group. Aside from Y!M and Yahoo! oneSearch, another popular computer application that was carried over from the computer to the mobile phone through Globe Telecom’s network is Friendster, a social networking website. It is estimated that bulk of the Friendster users worldwide are Filipinos. Aside from the advertising partnership and the Yahoo! Messenger availability in the Globe Telecom network, the expanded partnership will include a new voice-activated oneSearch service capable of understanding the English Filipino accent. The service will initially be available in mobile device Blackberry 8800 series, Curve and Pearl. Yahoo! said the voice-activated search was first launched in the United States in April, followed by India and Singapore last June. Globe Telecom is publicly listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange. Shares of Globe Telecom ended at P1,190, up by five pesos from yesterday’s closing price. - GMANews.TV