The AOL Mobile Developer Program is an industry-wide initiative that will make it easy to develop, test and distribute licensed AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) clients for mobile devices. LG Electronics, Motorola, Samsung Telecommunications America and Siemens have signed on, and OZ, a developer of standards-based mobile instant messaging solutions, has also joined the program.

The AOL Mobile Developer Program leverages the open standards of the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) to produce a better instant messaging experience for mobile users everywhere, regardless of device, service provider, network or geography. The program marks the industry's first major commercial deployment of OMA's Wireless Village-based Instant Messaging Presence Service (IMPS) standard.

Benefits of the new program include:

1. An AOL Client Certification Kit that includes user interface guidelines, branding elements and functional specifications;
2. Access to AOL's Gateway server, which is compliant with the OMA client server protocol IMPS version 1.1 and version 1.2; and
3. Development support and an expedited AOL review process to help speed the approval of new AIM clients for mobile devices.

More than 18 million mobile instant messages are sent by AOL members and AIM users on a daily basis, and the number of messages sent and received by users on the OMA IMPS-based AIM clients is on the rise.

According to a recent study 20% of all IM users engage in mobile instant or SMS text messaging at least once a week, and 34% for those aged 13-21 do so. Nearly one in three IM users (31%) say they send mobile instant messages to keep in touch with the office and make business decisions while on travel for work. Nearly three in four (72%) say they send mobile instant messages when they don't have time for a phone conversation, and more than half (52%) say they use mobile instant messaging to keep from disturbing others on public transportation and at sporting events.

More than nine million mobile devices already feature an AIM client, while Nokia and Sony Ericsson have already delivered mobile AIM clients on their popular mobile phones. OMA IMPS-based AIM clients are available on Nokia models 3200, 3100, 1100, 3300, 3595, 6010, 6800, 6820; and Sony Ericsson models T637 and T237.

Under the new AOL Mobile Developer Program, AOL has already approved development of some OMA-based AIM Clients:, including a Java-based AIM client that is pre-installed in a variety of mobile devices, including HP Pocket PC.