Two-way small talk with Asia's Chikka.com site

<p>MANILA: Instant messaging, which has already taken Singapore and </p><p>the Philippines by storm, will soon be available to other countries in </p><p>Asia following the launch of a two-way wireless instant messenger </p><p>service by Philippine-based Chikka.com. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The service merges computer-based instant messaging and mobile </p><p>phone-based short messaging service (SMS), and is expected to present </p><p>new advertising opportunities. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Chika, which means talking or chatting in Filipino, will soon be </p><p>available in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and </p><p>Europe. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Communication in real time has gained popularity through services such </p><p>as AOL Instant Messenger. According to the company, the Philippines </p><p>leads the region in instant messaging usage with an estimated 100 </p><p>million messages being sent daily. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The Chikka.com website is presently in its demo stage although users can </p><p>sign up for the new service online. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A report by NetValue found Hong Kong led the instant messaging market in </p><p>Asia in January this year, followed closely by Singapore, Taiwan, Korea </p><p>and China. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>