Microsoft is close to launching a new version of its instant messaging service that could link its network with rivals such as Yahoo, according to sources familiar with the plans. The pending upgrade could hasten efforts to create a single IM standard and break down technology barriers that prevent users of different products from talking to each other. AOL Time Warner subsidiary America Online, the current market leader, has so far refused to open its networks to IM rivals, creating a patchwork of competing fiefdoms.
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