mm02 set to launch multimedia messaging

By Alun Williams

Posted on 1 Oct 2002 at 17:45

And the service will be available on a pre-pay basis from 28p per message...

The new multimedia messaging service (MMS) will be rolled out across mm02 domains (UK, Ireland, Germany and Netherlands) this month, with the British launch expected for the third week in October.

With MMS you can send and receiving pictures, graphics and sound as well as text. With the mm02 service you will also be able to edit and manage your photos online. For example a number of templates - such as speech bubbles or cartoons - will be used to present pictures and text to a recipient. And you will be able to edit and manipulate images and store collections as 'albums'. Think the kind of imaging software you get with digital cameras, only the functionality will be available online.

Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile have already launched their MMS services. Uniquely to mm02, however, the multimedia service will also be available to pre-pay as well as contract customers.

Individually, the cost per O2 'Media Message' will be 40p. But if you buy in to one of the 'bolt-on' options the price per message will fall to 28p (under one package you will be able to have 25 media messages for £7 per month).

'As well as multimedia capabilities and the fun experience, we'll be competing on price,' an mm02 spokesperson told us.

As for the phones that will be available for the service, the MMS-enabled models include the Sony Ericsson T68i (with camera attachment), the Nokia 3510 (receive only) and the Nokia 7650. The Nokia 6610, Nokia 7210, Sony Ericsson T300 and Siemens S55 are expected to follow.

The exact details of how users will access the Web and manage the digital content will be revealed at launch.