Vodafone, Yahoo team for mobile IM

Vodafone Group and Yahoo announced plans to expand their existing partnership with the launch of mobile IM services. The co-branded application will operate on both mobile phones and PCs, enabling consumers to send messages from one platform to the other and employ address book functionality to determine whether their contacts are online. "This partnership is significant as mobile phones play an important role in how customers communicate and stay connected to their Internet community," Yahoo Connected Life senior VP Marco Boerries said in a prepared statement. "The combined expertise of Vodafone and Yahoo means that we will be able to deliver an exciting and relevant experience to consumers across both their mobile and PC."

Vodafone and Yahoo first partnered in November 2006 when the European operator named the web portal giant its exclusive display advertising partner for the U.K. market.

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