Yahoo! Messenger is the #1 Mobile Instant Messenger Application

Yahoo! Messenger rises to the top among mobile IM applications, according to Telephia. The Telephia Mobile Internet Report shows that nearly 7.9 million mobile users logged onto Yahoo! Messenger via their wireless device in December 2005, reaching nearly 4% of all wireless subscribers. AOL Instant Messenger secured a reach of 3.6% with an audience of more than 7.3 million wireless consumers, while MSN Messenger attracted an audience of nearly 4.3 million, reaching 2.1%.

The mobile applications for Google Talk and ICQ Messenger secured an audience of nearly 1.7 million and 673,000 unique mobile visitors, respectively.

Top Instant Messenger Applications (U.S.)

The Telephia Data Network and Application Testing Report (DNA) for instant messaging shows that Yahoo! Messenger also scored higher than AOL's instant messenger in overall service quality in four out of five wireless networks measured. The report includes service quality performance and usability comparisons for Yahoo! Messenger, AIM, and MSN Messenger.

Telephia's DNA performance tests further indicated that success rates for instant messaging over short codes was much higher than when using the native client-based instant messenger on the device. On average, IM activity over short codes had a three percent login failure rate. Among client-based instant messenger applications tested, two-thirds posted a login failure rate of 20% or greater.

"The biggest Internet brands, such as Yahoo!, AOL, MSN, and Google, are well poised to extend their reach across different channels, including the mobile world," said Kanishka Agarwal, Vice President of New Products, Telephia. "In this battle of the brands, the product that presents 24/7 uptime and a feature-rich IM experience that mimics what consumers can do on their computers will beat out the competition. Thus, benchmarking service quality from the user's experience will be a critical gauge for providers to enhance their products."

December Data Highlights: Holiday Shopping on Mobile Phones Rise

More than 27 million wireless users accessed websites, web email, and instant messaging via their mobile devices, reaching 13.4% of all mobile subscribers in December 2005. According to Telephia, the Health/Fitness and Shopping/Auctions categories secured triple digit growth during the month, increasing 164 and 115 percent, respectively. Automotive, Search, and Food/Dining sites rounded out the top five.

Mobile shoppers were in full force during the holiday season. More than 3.3 million mobile consumers visited shopping sites on their wireless device in December. Mobile consumers visiting the Target.com website increased by 243 percent, while Amazon.com attracted 107 percent more mobile users in December. Shoppers to eBay rose 80% over the previous month, and Froogle's mobile audience jumped 76%."

Posted to the site on 13th February 2006