It's already known that the Instant messaging programs are very popular and that most users already have a MSN or Yahoo ID.

However, the convergence between cell phones and IM clients is something completely new. From now on, the MSN and Vodafone users will be able to speak without having to go through a PC in order to do so.

Unlike in the case of MSN Messenger, which is free of charge, this time the people wanting to use their MSN in order to send messages to mobile phones will have to pay for this service.

However, the decision taken by Microsoft and Vodafone is a pretty good clue regarding just how the future of IM will look like. In time, the prices for PC-to-mobile phone communications by using the IM will drop as more and more competitors join the race.

The IM won't be the only application born and raised on the Internet to make its way into the mobile world. More and more applications will take the same path and at some point a mobile phone with access to the Internet will be a "must.

In conclusion, Vodafone and MSN represent only the first step in a far more complicated process.