Yahoo!, Microsoft connect to provide instant messaging interoperability

Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: "YHOO") and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: "MSFT") today will begin limited public beta testing of interoperability between their instant messaging (IM) services that enable users of Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger with Voice to connect with each other. This interoperability — the first of its kind between two distinct, global consumer IM providers — they claim will form the world's largest consumer IM community of close to around 350 million accounts.

Consumers worldwide from Microsoft and Yahoo! will be able to take advantage of IM interoperability and join the limited public beta programme. They will be among the first to exchange instant messages across the free services online, view personal status messages, share select emoticons, view offline messages and add new contacts from either service at no cost. Yahoo! and Microsoft plan to make the interoperability between their respective IM services broadly available to consumers in the coming months.

"This first-of-its-kind interoperability between consumer IM leaders Microsoft and Yahoo! gives our customers tremendous control, convenience and freedom in their Web communication experiences with Windows Live," said Blake Irving, corporate vice president, Windows Live Platform at Microsoft. "We're proud to deliver this latest advancement in IM services that empower people to communicate with virtually whomever they want, wherever they want and whenever they want."

According to Brad Garlinghouse, senior vice president, communications, community and front doors, Yahoo! "Interoperability between IM services has consistently topped our users' wish lists, and through the collaborative efforts between Yahoo! and Microsoft we are delighted to provide our combined global users with the ultimate IM experience. A new era for staying connected with friends and family is here, and the bridge between Yahoo!'s and Microsoft's IM communities is bringing people around the world closer together."

Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger with Voice users in the U S and more than 15 international markets can register to participate in the IM interoperability beta by visiting Yahoo! at http://messenger.yahoo.com or Microsoft at http://ideas.live.com. The new beta program will be available in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada (English and French3), China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States (English and Spanish).