Rumor: China Telecom, Netease to Release 'Ding Ding' IM in August
Tencent Tech, 7/24/13
According to a knowledgeable source, the rumored YiChat ("Yixin") mobile IM - jointly developed by China Telecom (NYSE: CHA; 0728.HK) and Chinese internet company Netease (Nasdaq: NTES), and based upon China Telecom's Yi Liao mobile IM - has been rebranded as "Ding Ding," with an expected launch date of late August. Ding Ding will be operated by a joint venture company established by China Telecom's Enterprise Communications Portal (ECP) Base and Netease. China Telecom will be responsible for Ding Ding distribution and pre-installation, while Netease will take charge of product development and updates. The Ding Ding brand and software copyrights are owned by China Telecom.
Netease will link the company's own registered users with the Ding Ding platform, as well as take charge of push notification services. Future updates to Ding Ding may add IPTV connectivity, allowing for free voice calling between Ding Ding users and IPTV customers.
Editor's Note: According to a report from 36kr, the mobile IM product may be named YiChat ("Yi Xin") and not "Ding Ding." In addition to WeChat-like functionality, the app supports sending voice messages to fixed-line phones, and will also feature a public accounts platform. For more background on this topic, please see "Rumor: China Telecom Tests New Mobile IM Product 'YiChat" MD 3/27/13 issue.
Keywords: Ding Ding Netease China Telecom wireless mobile IM NTES Yi Liao YiChat mobile application
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