First Hop launches modular MMS offering

29 Jan 2002 at 16:49 GMT Timo Poropudas

The Finnish messaging management company First Hop today hopped on the MMS-wagon by launching a modular offering for Multimedia Messaging Service. First Hop offers operators and service providers an evolutionary upgrade path to MMS messaging, with a focus on delivering rapid return on investment.

Following the user driven success of Short Messaging Service, SMS, the wireless industry is expecting even more from the new messaging standards that incorporate 'rich media' such as audio and video.

First Hop provides a migration path to messaging applications from SMS to EMS (Enhanced Messaging Service) and MMS. While person-to-person messaging will eventually become the largest use of MMS, First Hop encourages initial adoption through person-to-application solutions, providing the broadest array of open application programming interfaces and industry-leading application integration tools. First Hop's products enable the developer community to develop a wide range of applications ranging from instant messaging and presence to location-based services.

"To provide the richest possible content to a maximum number of customers, operators need to be able to embrace all the emerging messaging standards. First Hop specializes in scalable messaging middleware platforms that can be upgraded into full-blown EMS and MMS service environments without the need for major upfront investments", says Petteri Koponen, CTO of FirstHop.