Followap, the leading provider of Presence, Instant Messaging and Interconnect solutions to the telecommunications industry today announced it has created the world’s largest operator-owned IM community, interconnecting leading operators through its iFollow Interconnect Hub, supporting the GSMA’s initiative of Personal IM to build a global interoperable IM community.
Followap interconnects the Vodafone Group operators, provides national interconnectivity in France, connects operator-owned communities to ISP communities, and has signed up several tier-one operators for interconnectivity through its Interconnect Hub.
“Once connected to Followap’s Interconnect Hub, the first IM multi-operator network environment, mobile users are able to seamlessly communicate across national and operator boundaries, to form one large IM and Presence community,” said Simon Brown, VP Global Sales and Customer Operations at Followap.
“IM interoperability is essential for the adoption of operator branded IM services, enabling mobile IM to quickly evolve from a local service to a mass market global service, just as with SMS. Interconnected Mobile IM is also the spring board for, next generation, real time IP services such as content, dating, voice and video services. Followap’s Interconnect Hub, is expected to significantly boost our customers messaging traffic and revenues and supports the GSM Association’s initiative to provide users with “ubiquitous IM” services,” concluded Brown.
Followap’s drive for IM and Presence interconnectivity builds on Followap’s lead in the operator-branded IM market. First launched in 1999, Followap’s iFollow IMSC (Instant Messaging Service Centre) powers over 15 operator-owned communities worldwide, accounting for more than 80 per cent of the operator-owned communities market. Followap is providing this connectivity using its iFollow Interconnect Platform (ICP).
A uniquely positioned solution, iFollow ICP is a carrier-grade platform dedicated to IM and Presence interconnectivity hubbing. iFollow ICP supports all interconnectivity protocols (IMPS SSP, SIP SIMPLE, XMPP and their local variants), provides inter-operator billing and clearing tools, supports operators’ interconnect agreement structure and can be provided as a service or as an on-site platform (both models are currently in operation).
