MTC-Vodafone (Bahrain) has announced the enhancement of “M-Chat” by adding more new features to a service that unifies the internet user and the GSM mobile customer as one “full service mobile chat” opportunity. MTC-Vodafone (Bahrain) customers can now chat using WAP links and Java Client. MTC-Vodafone (Bahrain) customers can always enjoy chatting with their friends on MTC-Vodafone, Bahrain and Kuwait, FASTLINK Jordan, MSN Messenger and Yahoo.
On the service, Mohamed Alhashili, Senior Manager, Product Development at MTC-Vodafone (Bahrain), commented, “Our customers are now taking part in a real evolution. We have seen the growth of the Internet, chatting on-line and by SMS. Using WAP links and the new tailored JAVA client, MTC-Vodafone (Bahrain)’s customers will be able to chat interactively with their friends.”
MTC-Vodafone has developed the M-Chat services to reflect the growing demand for exciting and useful services that give real value for money. Increasingly, people rely on SMS to get their messages out to friends and family at a price they know is very reasonable.
There is NO entry cost for the service. Customers using M-Chat will benefit from a lower cost that the usual SMS charge. It will be FREE to receive messages as subscribers only pay for the message they send out. To begin chatting, all MTC-Vodafone customers have to do is to send: GO by SMS to the number 2428. After that and in order to download WAP links to M-Chat services, customers need to send the word WAP by SMS to the number 2428. For JAVA clients, customers are requested to send JAVA by SMS to the number 2428. To help all MTC-Vodafone customers get familiarised to the new features, chatting using JAVA and WAP applications will be absolutely FREE until April 30th 2005.
In outlining the service in more details, Mohamed highlighted, “In testing we have found that customers have been excited by the simplicity of the service. Once the customers have created their own identity "nickname", they can search for other customers by profile, including location, age, gender, hobby or interests. The locations can include restaurants, malls, fitness centers, residential areas etc.”
“Creating a profile is very easy and the steps are very simple – you register your nickname, your age, your gender and most importantly your location. Your ‘Profile’ can be changed as often as wanted. So if you want to see who else you could chat with, say at your favorite restaurant, you register that as your location and if there are other chatters there you could chat over dinner!”
The chat rooms add another dimension to the service with rooms covering topics such as sports, newsroom, Women, Ash3ar (poetry), Cinema & TV. Before entering the room you can check out the profile of those already there and decide if you want to join in. Privacy and security are keys to the whole service. By creating your own nickname you will not have to release your mobile number to anyone you don’t want to.
Although mobile to internet is not completely new to the market, mobile to all the popular Internet communities is! If you need to “talk” to your friend in New York or London, but they prefer to “chat on line via the Internet” whilst you chat on using SMS and your mobile, you can invite them to M-Chat as a ‘friend’.
