If AOL Time Warner and rival Microsoft agree to collaborate, instant messaging services could see a boom -- especially within businesses, analysts say. As part of last week"s broad anti-trust litigation settlement, the two rivals agreed to discuss making their messaging systems work together. The talks would come after a long, bitter fight to make AOL open its system to instant messengers using competing services, such as Microsoft"s MSN.
AOL is home to the majority of those who use instant messaging, which enables real-time chats online, and is the leading player in the arena. Urging AOL to open up Its rivals, including Microsoft"s MSN and Yahoo, have been clamoring for AOL to open up its system so their users can communicate with those using AOL services ICQ and AIM. But AOL"s efforts to let rivals" users communicate with those using its services has stalled and the company has cited security issues and market conditions among other issues.