ONE-TO-ONE MARKETING: Comment - Is MMS riddled with more glitches than rewards for users?

Only we're not ... not yet anyway. Because doing so is not as easy as it was supposed to be. You can be in the same country, on the same network, using the same model phone but still not be able to send or receive an MMS. And there are many reasons why this is so.

First, you have to ask for MMS services. This may seem obvious, but apparently not to the operator who sells the phones, often without prompting you for the services. Second, you have to sign up for GPRS services too. Again don't expect any prompting from the telco. You need GPRS for the connection.

Third, you have to set up your phone for MMS and GPRS. And since each phone can have various settings, you'll have to get your geek friend to do it for you.

Manufacturers are sorting this out now. For example, if you've bought the popular Nokia 6600, you go to the Nokia website, tap in your mobile number and it will send you a SMS with the settings which automatically install themselves when you open it. With those three problems solved on both ends, you can send and receive. Unless, of course, not all your friends use the same operator. Then you hit another problem - interoperability.

Currently in Asia, to many people, receiving an MMS means receiving an SMS that informs them of the MMS and gives details on how to retrieve the MMS. And to most people, this is nonsense and so they ignore it. In time, this will be solved. Of course, if you plan to use roaming, you can expect more problems and if you decide to switch operator, you will experience portability problems. Messages sent to your old number won't be forwarded.

If all that wasn't enough to deter consumers, there's the cost. MMS is normally priced three to four times higher than SMS. You get charged for the GPRS connection fee and that can be expensive when you're using video.

And, of course, MMS phones cost many times that of 'normal' phones.

The good news is that as difficult as it is for users to use MMS, they are. Several research companies selling their 2004 forecasts are predicting 50 per cent growth.

Many users have MMS-enabled handsets, but aren't yet using them. Malaysia had almost a quarter of a million of them before the service was even available. MMS usage is already growing rapidly, including in the Philippines, where you'd imagine the issue to be cost-sensitive.

So, with the solution around the corner, what does the future hold? Well, you need look no further than Singapore. There, people not only send and receive MMS, but they can watch sports results, movie trailers and music video clips all via MMS.