Facebook is set to launch an integrated email service on Monday, aiming to compete with Gmail and Yahoo Mail. This move will position Facebook as the largest email service provider in the world, serving its 500 million users.
TechCrunch, a prominent Silicon Valley technology blog, reported that Facebook plans to announce a web-based email service featuring @facebook.com addresses at an event in San Francisco. This initiative, part of a secret project known as ‘Project Titan,’ is internally referred to as its ‘Gmail killer.’
Yahoo, Google, and Microsoft are already enhancing their email services to emphasize social connections. However, Facebook holds a significant advantage due to its extensive data on user relationships, making it easier to integrate email with its existing social services like photo-sharing.
Facebook's new email service will seamlessly integrate with the social network, utilizing its network of friends model. The goal is to create a communication ecosystem that is sensitive to the world of personal relationships, combining text, pictures, music, and video in a single communication container. This system will prioritize information flow based on each user's social context.
The official announcement on Monday will likely include a strategic alliance with Microsoft, incorporating Facebook functionality into Office applications. If launched, the Facebook email service will enable its 500 million members to communicate with anyone inside or outside the social network.
If widely adopted, Facebook could surpass Windows Live Hotmail’s 361 million users, Yahoo Mail’s 273 million users, and Gmail’s 193 million users.
