INTAC's (INTN) China subsidiary is launching its Internet parental control software product developed exclusively for the China market.

Driven by China's fast growing internet population among children, and by their parents' increasing concerns over the time they spend online and the content they can access, the Internet Co-Surfing (ICS) software was created to offer these parents full control over their children's internet usage, including controlling internet connectivity, monitoring surfing access, blocking dangerous sites, setting time limits for internet connection, and online/offline gaming control.

The company says a unique characteristic of ICS differentiating it from other parental control software products is that ICS provides an instant and interactive communication channel between concerned parents and the computers their children use at home for internet surfing.

For example, through a service subscriber, a parent receives an immediate notification via Short Messaging Services (SMS) on their mobile phone every time their child encounters a website not included in the pre-set "Safe Sites" list. The parent can then choose to permit the surfing or to block the website by simply sending a message back to the designated computer, thereby allowing a real-time internet usage control. Also, thanks to this unique SMS-based communication platform, the software can be used as an instant communication tool between children on their PCs and parents with their mobile phones.

ICS is distributed via INTAC's nationwide sales network of its education software products. Parents may obtain and install the software for free and pay a monthly subscription fee to get the specific SMS service.

The SMS service is jointly offered and operated by INTAC and China Mobile (CHL), with the carrier providing full customer service support.

INTAC says it is the only software vendor and service provider in China that has reached an agreement with China Mobile to access and utilize its nationwide network to provide such SMS-based PC-to-phone communications services to its customers in the education market.