As part of their ongoing commitment to connecting communities of online users, IPcelerate, Inc. and America Online, Inc. today announced that they have teamed to weave the AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) service directly into IPcelerate's MyNORA Virtual Student Union, making it easy for college students to connect with friends and family in real time.

IPcelerate's MyNORA Virtual Student Union a SIP-based digital dashboard and softphone for the college and university market that brings together voice, video, data and collaboration capabilities will integrate the AIM service and AIM 'presence' information to make it easy for students to see when AIM Buddies are online and available to chat. Integrating the AIM service into the MyNORA VSU gives students direct access to the more than 41 million Americans on the AIM network, one the largest online communities in the world.



"Incorporating the popular AIM service into MyNORA is the exciting first step in a series of new content and service offerings that we will be providing to colleges and universities as well as their student and parent populations," said Kevin Brown, president and CEO for IPcelerate. "Our goal is to provide educational communities an affordable, 'one stop shop' for text, voice and video communications that meets students' demand for more dynamic, expressive and interactive experiences."

Under the agreement, AOL will be the exclusive provider of instant messaging to IPcelerate. The familiar AOL Running Man icon will be woven into the MyNORA Neighborhood to complement the AOL Buddy List feature and give users another easy way to access friends, family and fellow students. With one click, students can launch an AIM session to exchange text, audio and/or video instant messages with anyone they like.

"College students are ultra connected, and the AIM service is a way of life for them. It's not unusual for students to exchange instant messages and check email, while downloading music and writing a term paper," said Chamath Palihapitiya, vice president and general manager, AIM and ICQ, America Online, Inc. "We're excited to integrate the AIM service into IPcelerate's MyNORA VSU, helping to ensure that students all across the country enjoy access to the hottest content, features and communications services."