Event Summary
BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Beginning today, AT&T WorldNet(R)
Service members will be among the first Netizens who no longer need to keep
multiple buddy lists to message people using other instant messaging programs.
Market
Impact
Two weeks ago Microsoft withdrew from the concept of an integrated Instant Messaging
(IM) system due to roadblocks from AOL/Netscape's Instant Messenger. Simply
put, as soon as Microsoft enhanced the MSN IM system to enable communications
with AOL's IM system, AOL's code was changed repeatedly to prevent communication
between the two systems. The IM market is known for being predatory in nature,
as each system attempts to cannibalize the market as a whole.
The
proprietary IM systems draw attention to the vendors website for the purposes
of direct e-commerce sales, which are particularly hot during the holiday season.
AT&T has partnered with Tribal Voice, a leader in IM innovation, to create a
unified IM system. The product is freely downloadable today but will be blocked
by both MSN and AOL within the course of the next 7 days (probability 90%),
rendering the IM system useless for the purposes of communication with either
AOL or MSN. AT&T's IM system will continue to function normally with AT&T WorldNet
subscribers.
User
Recommendations
We recommend waiting to download the AT&T WorldNet Instant Messaging software
for a few weeks. We believe that chances are extremely high that the product
will cease to interact with AOL and MSN within a few short days (probability
90%) because AOL and MSN will block interaction, claiming breaches of security.
If the product continues to function as advertised, allowing for continued interoperability
between the existing IM systems after a few weeks (probability 10%), take the
time to download and configure the application. In the mean time you will be
best served through the utilization of a combination of both AOL's and MSN's
Instant Messaging implementation.