Ericsson (Nasdaq: ERICY), Motorola (NYSE: MOT) and Nokia (NYSE: NOK) announced they have established a mobile instant messaging and presence initiative named "Wireless Village" to define and promote a set of universal specifications for mobile instant messaging services.

The specifications will be used for exchanging messages and information between mobile devices, mobile services and Internet-based instant messaging services, according to the companies.

The companies also said the initiative is open to participation from industry supporters interested in providing early comments about the specifications and building compatible devices.

"Messaging and presence services are key applications for the mobile Internet," said Frank Dawson, Nokia representative and chairman of the Wireless Village venture.

Too Many IM Standards Limit Growth

User participation in chat and other instant messaging services via mobile devices -- such as phones, pagers and PDAs -- is limited by the lack of common and interoperable software in the mobile industry. Providing a universal standard "requires addressing the many challenging requirements, such as the widely varying capabilities of mobile devices," the companies said.

Instant messaging, which lets users send messages in real-time between devices, is evolving rapidly to include rich multimedia content , such as audio and video clips and images with traditional text messaging.

Accompanying "presence services" share personal information about user status (online, offline or busy), user location and even the moods of friends and colleagues.

Such services also let users list which friends and colleagues are currently online and participate in private or public chat rooms with search capabilities. Ultimately, network operators will be able to provide meeting and conferencing services with shared content.

Building on Existing Technology

The three telecom giants said their Wireless Village initiative plans to create architectural and protocol specifications, test specifications and tools for mobile instant messaging and presence. The venture also will define procedures and tools for testing conformance and interoperability.

The companies will not wander too far from the existing realm in establishing their standards. The instant messaging specification will be based on protocols and other well adapted standards, such as SMS (short message service), MMS (multimedia messaging service), WAP (wireless application protocol), SIP (session initiation protocol) and XML (extensible markup language).

The service will include security capabilities for user authentication, secure message transfer and access control. Operators should expect the specifications to be applicable to existing 2G and emerging 3G wireless network technologies, the companies said.

'People Have Taken IM to Heart'

Wireless Village intends to publish the specifications by the end of the year. Demonstrations of compatible mobile devices and services that support the specifications also are planned.

"It's evident, looking at the development of instant messaging on the Internet today, that people have taken instant messaging to their hearts," said Jan Svensson, Ericsson's vice president and manager for GSM (global system for mobile communications ) and UMTS (universal mobile telecommunications system) mobile phones.

"That's particularly true for the younger generation who use chat services for keeping in touch with friends," Svensson added.

Janiece Webb, senior vice president and general manager of Motorola's Internet software and content group, said instant messaging is set to expand massively over the next few months and years, but the compatibility of mobile devices will be key to feeding that trend.

"This initiative will provide the solution to that interoperability issue," Webb said. "The Wireless Village initiative will drive the usage of data services and generate new revenue sources for service providers."