Terra Lycos S.A. announced Thursday that it will deploy an instant messaging service built on the Sametime instant messaging and awareness platform developed by IBMs Lotus Software division.
The new service, expected to be available by the end of the year, will at first deliver chat and short message service (SMS) to Terra Lycos customers, then later move into audio, video, content delivery and file sharing, Terra Lycos officials in Waltham, Mass., said.
The IM service will integrate with other Lycos services, including e-mail, agenda and virtual disk. Based on the SIMPLE protocol, it will also offer interoperability with other SIMPLE-based IM services.
Instant messaging clients will also be customizable.
“Terra Lycos has selected Sametime to help allow our communities of users to be interoperable,” said Carlos Gonzalez, vice president of access and communication services at Terra Lycos. “Our decision is based on the quality and flexibility of IBM Lotus Sametime as a leading platform for instant messaging and online awareness. We are confident that working with such a sound company will allow us to reach our goals of offering the greatest value to our customers.”
A no-charge version of the service is expected by December. Terra Lycos plans to offer a paid version of the service, with added functionality and performance by next year.