Customers receive SMS alerts and track real time results in virtual auctions via mobile phones - anytime, anywhere.

Redwood City, CA, USA, May 13, 2008 (XTVWorld.Com) -- Clickatell, leading provider of global mobile messaging solutions, announced it has been chosen by Christie's, the world's leading art business, to provide text-message based alerts to customers across the globe. Clickatel's managed service enables Christie's to inform customers via SMS about soon to be released auction items of interest-such as masterpieces by Picasso and Van Gogh-and pricing updates prior to and during auctions.

Founded by James Christie in 1766, Christie's is the world's first fine art auctioneer with global auction sales in 2007 that totaled $6.3 billion. Christie's is a name and place that speaks of extraordinary art, unparalleled service and expertise, as well as international glamour and sophistication.

"By providing text alerts, we are giving our customers instant access to auction and price updates anywhere, anytime – allowing them to be the first to know of unique or rare listings," said Andrew Seltzer, Assistant Vice President, Global Operations Project Manager for Christie's. "As people around the world continue to become more and more mobile, they don't want to be tied to their PCs to get the latest information – using their cell phone, they can go about their daily lives and stay informed. With this step towards meeting our client's lifestyle needs, Christie's continues to make strides towards introducing technology enhancements that will introduce even greater levels of mobility and customer service."

Available today, Christie's SMS alert service is free to all customers. To subscribe, customers simply log on to Christie's registration page and complete a simple enrollment process. Customers will begin receiving email and SMS messages pertaining to auction items, announcements and other pertinent information no matter where they are in the world.

"We are seeing more and more top performing businesses in their field taking the lead in embracing SMS and mobile messaging as a key component of their customer relations, acquisition and retention strategies," commented Pieter de Villiers, CEO of Clickatell. "We are delighted that we can now add an icon such as Christie's to our customer list. We see mobile phones fast becoming the primary point of communication for businesses and communities to reach their audience with permission-based, value-added messaging."

Christie's has 85 offices in 43 countries and 14 salerooms around the world including London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Geneva, Milan, Amsterdam, Tel Aviv, Dubai and Hong Kong. Most recently, Christie's has led the market with expanded initiatives in emerging markets such as China, India and the United Arab Emirates, with successful sales and exhibitions in Beijing, Dubai, Mumbai and Russia. Christie's offers over 600 sales annually in over 80 categories, including all areas of fine and decorative arts, jewelry, photographs, collectibles, wine, cars and more. Prices range from $200 to over $80 million.