BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Microsoft Corp., whichforesees increasingly powerful mobile phones and faster networks opening the door for new services and content,launched a redesigned MSN portal optimized for mobile phones on Sunday.

"We firmly believe there is an inflection point here," said Phil Holden, Microsoft's director of mobile Web services. "There's a new battle, a new frontline developing on the mobile phone."

Microsoft's new MSN Mobile portal -- http://mobile.msn.com -- offers news, sports information, entertainment features and access to services like e-mail, search, maps and instant messaging all on one page.

The MSN platform recognizes the handset when a user accesses the portal and optimizes the site for that device, adjusting things like font sizes for different screens.

The number of mobile Internet users in America is expected to more than triple from the current 32 million to 110 million in 2011, according to Sterling Market Intelligence and Opus Research.

Microsoft'sWeb competitors Yahoo Inc. and Google Inc. are also trying to establish a mobile Internet presence while wireless carriers want to keep their consumers close with portals of their own.

The ultimate prize for all the players is to gain a foothold in the market for mobile advertising. ABI Research has forecast global mobile marketing and advertising to increase sixfold to 19 billion U.S. dollars by 2011 from an estimated 3 billion dollars by the end of 2007.

(Agencies)