Chikka, Google Talk now interconnected

Chikka Messenger, the popular two-way PC to mobile text messaging service created by Chikka Asia, is now interconnected with Google Talk.

"We are happy to announce the Chikka community’s connection to Google Talk and vice versa. This is a major step in bringing Chikka to more users all over the world. Partnering with Google is truly a big step forward for our company," said Chito Bustamante, chief operating officer of Chikka Asia.

Google Talk is a downloadable Windows application that enables users to talk or send instant messages over the Internet to their friends for free.

Google’s idea is to form a federation of communication service providers that will interconnect with Google Talk and bring significant communities together.

Chikka Asia is the only company in the Philippines that is now part of the federation that Google is creating.

"This collaboration is actually good alignment between a strong global company whose name today represents a ‘way of life’ and a local one that has not only established a foothold in an important market such as the Philippines but has also excelled and specialized in a unique ‘mobile’ space. We share the same vision of bringing communities together. Our patented technology and own marketing savvy complement theirs," Bustamante said.

Both Google and Chikka are expected to share technology and intellectual property as they go about with the interconnection deal.

With various wireless appli-cations now made available by over 30 telecommunication carriers in 11 countries, including the United States, China, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and India, Chikka is the Philippines’ leading "exporter" of mobile messaging-based applications.

According to the company, Chikka Messenger, with close to 30 million registered users, is the most widely used and viewed electronic property by Filipinos worldwide, next to e-mail itself.