Mobile operator 3 is today launching Windows Live Messenger on its Irish network. The company said the service will be made available free to its monthly and prepay customers so long as they do not exceed 200 messages a day or 6,000 a month.
Windows Live Messenger is one of the world’s most popular instant messaging services, with more than 260 million active accounts worldwide.
In the UK, 3’s Windows Live Messenger has seen around two million messages sent every day. The service won the Best Mobile Messaging Service award at the 3GSM Awards in Barcelona in February.
3’s head of marketing Susan Branchflower said that research shows that peak messaging time is from 11pm to 2am on the company’s network, “so being out on the town is no excuse for being offline.
“With over 14 million 3 customers worldwide and millions of online users, this free service opens up a massive community to our customers,” Branchflower said.
3’s Irish customers will be able to sign up to the free Windows Live Messenger service either directly on www.msn.com or through 3Stores nationwide.
“This is a sign of real mobile convergence and will appeal to the online generation, which is very strong in Ireland, where communicating in an instant is all-important,” said Brian Kealy, general manager of Windows Live Services at Microsoft Ireland.
By John Kennedy
