Multimedia Messaging Service

   As a rule, hullabaloo in media and industry starts few years before the commercial launch of a new technology. As Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS) emerged, events developed in an extraordinary manner: Ericsson T68 equipped with MMS functions appeared on the market. By fall 2001 experts had recognized MMS as a high potential technology.
 
   One of the pioneers who offered the service to subscribers is the UK based Vodafone Group with a presence in Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands. The first Multimedia Message was sent at the beginning of 2002 to Westel, the Hungarian network.
 
   Magti GSM is the first TransCaucasian operator to offer WAP based MMS to its subscribers. At the first stage, customers with MMS enabled phones, will be able to download graphics from the Magti GSM WAP page. Later on, Magti GSM will deploy a full range of Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS).
 
   Owners of Ericsson T68, Nokia 3510, Nokia 7210, Nokia 6610, Nokia 7650, Panasonic GD 87, Sony Ericsson T68i, P800 and T300 will be able to use WAP based MMS in the Magti GSM network.
 
   Multimedia Messaging Service technology is a means of text, audio and video file exchange between mobile phones and computers.
 
   The MMS concept is close to the popular Short Messaging Service but, despite similarity, there is quite a big difference. MMS is less limited in the capacity and content of the information transmitted. Graphic and text messages, pictures and even voice can be transmitted using MMS.

Multimedia Messaging Service
C a p a b i l i t i e s

   The new technology has made it possible to:

   Format texts, change fonts, style, layout, etc.;
   Insert pictures and audio/video files into texts;
   Transmit graphs, charts, diagrams, drafts, and maps.

   MMS uses JPEG, GIF and AMIR Voice formats.
   MMS is especially attractive for sales professionals: using the new technology a full range of products can be presented to the potential buyers via a handset.
   Advertisement is spiced up too by MMS. The technology provides a direct channel of interaction between salesperson and the audience, who can react immediately.

Achievements of the
T e c h n o l o g y
 
  The greatest achievement of the MMS technology is the transmission of video images using either a preinstalled video camera in the mobile phone (Nokia 7650) or a connected digital camera (Ericsson Communicam). One can record video image and save it directly to the memory of the connected digital camera.
   MMS is very attractive for the owners of so-called pocket computers. Such computers are either directly connected to the handset using infrared or radio Bluetooth channel, or equipped with a GPRS module, which allows information to be transmitted via mobile networks. A large sensor screen, powerful processor and memory capacity make pocket computers ideal instruments for preparing, transmitting and receiving multimedia messages. Palm OS computer ensure picture, Using PDA Client software Palm OS computer users can first prepare charts, sketches and drawings that will be later transmitted by means of MMS.
   It is hard to calculate the cost of MMS nowadays. Vice-president of Nokia Mobile Phones, Anci Vaniok, states that the cost of the new service will be based on the size of the message as well as the length of transmission.

MMS equipped
h a n d s e t s

   It is no secret that many successful products have not become popular because of the limited choice of handset models and their unreasonably high prices.
   Sony Ericsson T68 is currently the most popular MMS equipped handset. Nokia 7650, which was first presented at the GSM Congress in Cannes in February 2002 by the Finnish Nokia, reached the market in July 2002. One more Nokia handset, Nokia 3510, appeared on the market in the second decade of 2002. This handset was displayed at the CeBIT exhibition in March 2002.
   Initially, new Audio Video “wealth” will be available only for the owners of expensive handsets. However, if we take into consideration the growing pace of the industry, MMS will soon become an integral part of all handsets and will not affect their price.
   The new Legacy Phone Support, created by Swedish Ericsson and demonstrated on November 21, 2001 in London, allows the owners of WAP enabled telephones (their number is quite significant) to view multimedia messages using Internet. Even the owners of the simplest handsets will not be left without the new service: they may view received multimedia messages on Internet using a personal computer. It is interesting that the “smart machine” gathers information regarding the addressee's mobile handset in advance and, based on the response, transmits the message directly to the handset or the special web page.
   Specialists believe that MMS will be most popular with young people. According to market research conducted in the UK, 69% of respondents (16-24 years of age) are using mobile handsets and will start using MMS immediately. People of the above age group stated that they would trade their mobiles for multimedia function enabled telephones with pleasure. Adults of 25-34 years of age appeared to be less sensitive to the new service; only 29% are willing to change handsets.
  MMS's may be accounted for by human perception: one third of what is perceived is visual information. Multimedia Messaging Service is the technology of the future. It proves the convergence of wireless and computer technologies that all of us witness.