Vodafone in Microsoft and Yahoo! pact

Following deals with eBay, Google and MySpace, Vodafone has something to shout about with other buddies - this time, it's signed deals with Microsoft and Yahoo!.

Vodafone CMO Frank Rövekamp told delegates at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona: "We are planning a whole range of products co-developed with Microsoft and later Yahoo!."

The news came as Vodafone announced an agreement to offer a joint instant messaging service with the pair.

IM users will soon be able to use one application, co-branded with Vodafone and either Windows Live! or Yahoo!, to access instant messaging over both PC and mobile, with functionality including shared address book and presence information.

Microsoft or Yahoo! IM users will be able to access the service via their existing instant messaging ID, while new customers will get a Vodafone ID.

Rövekamp denied the decision to embrace Microsoft and Yahoo! was an admission that the company's own IM offering is unpopular with Vodafone customers but declined to give any numbers on take-up of its own-brand IM.

Vodafone said it expects to be able to talk about additional deals with IM providers soon.