ACL Wireless Offers Latest WIM Solution To Cell Cos
The Financial Express, December 13, 2002

New Delhi: ACL Wireless Limited, a company offering wireless solutions to the mobile operators, has launched a new version of its Wireless Instant Messaging (WIM) application. The version 3.0 allows customers access to messaging service through SMS (short messaging service), PCs and GPRS-enabled (general packet radio service) wireless devices.

Targeted particularly at cellular operators worldover who have GPRS-ready networks, this solution will enable the cellular subscribers to send messages or chat from mobile phones or desktops to any other mobile device or PC in the world.

ACL Wireless chief executive officer Sanjay K Goyal said, "ACL will target markets with GPRS-ready networks like the Western Europe, the United States, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan among others. WIM on GPRS networks, is like SMS on GSM networks."

The new solution will allow subscribers to do instant messaging over the Internet, have a friend's list, show presence (whether another subscriber is online, what device he is carrying), create an album where they can save, view, send and share pictures.

Mr Goyal added that the solution is interoperable with popular desktop instant messengers like Yahoo, Microsoft and AOL's ICQ, which means it is now possible to chat the way one does on the PC, from mobile to the PC.

Mr Goyal said that their company is in talks with the Indian cellular operators to upgrade their instant messaging solution for the GPRS networks.

ACL's previous instant messaging application is being used by AirTel, Idea, Spice Cellular, Escotel and RPG cellular in the Indian market. AirTel markets its IM service as AirTel Messenger where as Idea markets it as the M-chat. Apart from India, cellular operators like Philippine's Digitel, Thailand's Excelcom and Indonesia's Digitel also use ACL's instant messaging solution.

ACL, which presently has a staff of around 50, was founded in early 2000, is headquartered in Delhi with sales office in Malaysia. It is financially backed by a Hong Kong-based venture capital firm, IAVM.