Monday, ICQ will take the wraps off of an improved worldwide e-mail system. ICQ, in partnership with Mail2World, will enrich the ICQmail service with features including antivirus scanning, spam filtering, instant e-mail translation, and some extra customization features.

Also launching today is a premium tier of the service that offers two gigabytes of storage space, personal calendaring, file compression, the ability to send and receive video e-mails as well as other more advanced options.

Premium members will receive scheduled e-mail delivery, be able to create distribution lists, setup auto responses, and connect through POP3, IMAP4 and SMTP. Additional methods of accessing the service are available for users who own wireless devices and consist of e-mail forwarding through SMS and WAP-based e-mail access. The premium ICQmail costs $19.99 USD annually.

The standard ICQmail service was upgraded by Mail2World and portions of the premium service were also provided through the partnership. Both levels of the service have better message management and search, new send and receive options, e-mail alerts and several more convenience features.

"We are extremely pleased to be working with Mail2world to provide our users with an easy-to-use and reliable Web-based e-mail service, free of charge," said Danny Ben Shitrit, vice president for Product Marketing at ICQ. "Mail2World's solutions have enabled us to offer a highly customizable user experience. We will offer our users additional convenience by providing one-click access to ICQmail through the Xtraz Center on the ICQ client in the very near future."