NDTV Convergence, the digital arm of NDTV, has announced the launch of the Mi (My Mobile Internet) SMS service. Mi is the industry’s first mobile 2.0 platform, which delivers live, personalized, socially networked, interactive and multi-media channels on mobile devices.

Simply put, Mi™ SMS unleashes the power of GPRS for traditional mobile users, helping them access WAP through the SMS.

Consumers can access service by sending the SMS MiNEWS, MiCRI or MiSTO to 56388, the NDTV short code. In response, they receive a link that connects to the mobile internet for detailed multimedia content: news with images and video, cricket scores with auto refreshing ball-by-ball commentary, stock quotes with symbols, graphs and company news.

The service is an added advantage in situations when internet connectivity continues to be erratic. At a time when the mobile internet access is nearly ten-fold higher than broadband access in India, initiatives like Mi SMS further enhance user acceptance for GPRS. With GPRS-enabled handsets and data services becoming increasingly affordable, this initiative would help a larger number of users overcome the digital divide and access rich multimedia content.

“In a converged ecosystem where content is moving beyond devices, our endeavour is to cater to the evolving needs of the changing consumer. Mi SMS will help mobile users to get a taste of accessing internet on the go with a technology that they are most comfortable with—SMS,” said Sanjay Trehan, CEO, NDTV Convergence.

Mi SMS has been specially developed for the Indian market by July Systems, which has been building and launching mobile internet products worldwide for over a decade.

“We are delighted to partner with NDTV Convergence, one of the most trusted media brands in India, to launch the Mi SMS product. India is a unique market especially in terms of mobile usage behavior,” said Rajesh TS Reddy, co-founder & president of July Systems.

“With over 100 million mobile internet users, the country offers tremendous potential for mobile 2.0 services. Tie the already tremendously popular SMS usage with content from India’s trusted brands, you can start connecting the dots,” Reddy added.

The service requires mobile internet (also known as WAP, GPRS, Data, etc) service to be activated on a mobile phone. The content on the mobile internet is offered free of charge but data charges may apply.

Source: harishckolla.spaces.live.com