Research In Motion foil Visto has scored yet another mobile operator win through an agreement with Canada’s Roger's Wireless to license the company’s wireless synchronization solutions. Today's news follows a similar announcement with Vodafone, the largest carrier in the world, by less than seven days.

While Roger's 5.5 million subscribers pales next to Vodafone's multiregional 152 million user base, the carrier's presence is quite significant for Canada. As with Vodafone, Roger's also supports a number of RIM's BlackBerry handhelds and software synchronization products.

With Visto, however, the operator can offer a self-branded alternative to RIM Blackberry that runs on a variety of handsets (about 50), including Symbian, Palm, Windows Mobile, and J2ME MIDP 2.0 OS devices--far more out-of-the-box than BlackBerry.

Rogers VP John Boynton says, “Visto Mobile has a powerful architecture that enables us to give customers the ultimate user experience with instantaneous, two-way access to e-mail, calendar and contacts – allowing them to stay in touch at any time with the people and the information that matters most to them.”

The Canadian carrier calls its Visto-powered e-mail/PIM offering MyMail. Subscribers can download the MyMail client over-the-air to receive, send and synchronize their e-mail (POP/IMAP or Internet) accounts.

In addition to wireless e-mail, MyMail also provides real-time synchronization to Microsoft Exchange and IBM Lotus Domino calendar and contacts via Visto Enterprise Server ($1999 per year) for companies or a Desktop Redirector application for individuals.

Both the MyMail POP/IMAP/Internet e-mail and Desktop Redirector are free as part of any Roger's Data Service Plan.

The self-branded Visto services aren’t meant to replace Roger’s lucrative BlackBerry products. Rather, by expanding mobi-e-mail and PIM synchronization to a larger number of devices, the carrier now has a good compliment to its RIM-based offerings.

More on Visto
Unlike competitor RIM, Redwood Shores, CA based Visto entire existence since 1996 has been as a software platform.

Visto follows a different business model than RIM, as its main focus is on licensing its mobile e-mail platform to wireless carriers, such as Vodafone, who turn around and sell it under their own brand name.

Additional operators offering Visto powered e-mail and PIM synchronization services in North America, Europe and Asia include AT&T Wireless, Bell Mobility, KPN, Manitoba Telecom Services, Nextel Communications, Inc., Rogers Wireless, SaskTel Mobility, SmarTone and TELUS Mobility.

Visto expects to up its user base to about 10 million people in a couple of years. As of last June, there were 200,000 Visto users. Of course, most of them don’t know Visto is behind their mobile e-mail.