Dec 07/Jan/08

Can there be such a thing as genuinely free email access via mobile phones? Yes, says Swedish developer Momail, which has launched its free email service in the UK. So who pays for it? Momail simply says that the service 'will be financed through future premium services,' though it adds that users could have to pay data transfer rates to their existing mobile service provider. But they would have to do that anyway.

In essence, Momail acts as an email gateway, using patented technology to compress emails and attachments to suit specific handsets. The big 'selling point' behind the system (if you can sell something that is free) is that it should work on most mobile phones supplied during the last five years at least, including Apple's iPhone. The way Momail puts it, it should work on any phone with built-in email support.

You don't have to install any software on the phone itself; you just register. This can be done either via the mobile itself or on the Internet. Once the account set up, you can receive emails sent to various different accounts, which can all be aggregated in a single mailbox. Your replies will automatically be shown to recipients as coming from the account to which they sent their email.

You can also send emails directly to specific mobile phones, using just their phone number. There is a 'push' option to alert users when emails come in, and spam and virus protection is included.

 

Momail has financial support from Ariadne Capital, a London-based investment business which was an early advisor to Skype (later taken over by eBay).