According to the
Associated Press, a new standard for multimedia messaging has been adopted by the wireless industry, allowing customers from different wireless companies to exchange photos, video, and audio just like e-mail.
While the standard has been adopted it will take some time for companies to change and integrate everything. Until then, multimedia services will remain more like the current status of instant messaging, where users of services from AOL, Yahoo! and MSN still cannot chat directly.
The lack of interoperability has been a huge stumbling block for wireless carriers and their capabilities. For example, most cell phones today have cameras, but users wouldn't or couldn't share their pictures because their friends and family do not use the same wireless service. At a base-level short messaging service, or SMS, enabled a common standard of interoperability.
The establishment of a new multimedia message standard will encourage the exchange of photos and other multimedia content no matter what wireless company or technology a customer may be using. This will drive wider use of the technology and could lead to expanded multimedia services from wireless providers.
Cingular will be using a company call Mobile 365. VeriSign also announced an inter-carrier multimedia messaging service that wireless companies can take advantage of.