Windows Live SMS Availability Gets Extended

MACH and Microsoft have announced recently that they have extended their partnership aimed at market availability of Microsoft's Windows Live mobile messaging services. According to the agreement between the two companies, MACH will deliver Windows Live SMS services in a series of new markets, along with the markets where it already offers them, such as Europe and the Middle East.

The Windows Live Hotmail SMS service has just been launched to large Windows Live user bases in Singapore and Spain, MACH's Connectivity business unit has announced. Through this service, Windows Live Hotmail users can receive Hotmail emails on their mobile devices via SMS, and they also have the possibility to reply to the sender's inbox directly via SMS, as well as browse the mobile Hotmail portal, and perform a series of other tasks from the handset.

“The extension of our relationship with Microsoft is powerful validation from the industry leader both of MACH's global SMS aggregation solutions and of our ability to deliver,” said Alexander Schebler, MACH's vice president of Marketing and Sales, Connectivity. “We are delighted that MACH will continue to play a key role in support of Microsoft's growing portfolio of innovative mobile messaging services.”

MACH's role in the deal is to offer the technical interface between Microsoft and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), and it is also in charge with integration management, as well as with commercial contracts with operators, and with carrier support. The company's Connectivity business unit already offers the Windows Live Mobile services to a number of more than 44 MNOs in over 18 countries.

“Our vision is to get the vast majority of Windows Live users around the world interacting with Windows Live on their mobile devices,” said Tom Bailey, Microsoft's senior director of Product Management, Windows Live for Mobile. “Working with MACH enables us to achieve global reach quickly, leveraging the partnerships that MACH already has in place with mobile operators throughout the world.”