Internet giant Yahoo said Monday it is introducing a new version of its free e-mail service that will allow users to send text messages from computers to mobile telephones in select countries, including Canada.

The new Yahoo Mail, to be made available in the coming weeks, will allow free text messaging to mobile phone numbers in Canada, the U.S., India and Philippines.

Instead of typing in an e-mail address, users will be able to type in a phone number, then the message, and send, said John Kremer, vice-president of Yahoo Mail in the company blog.

"We want our users to be able to choose how they communicate with their friends and family, in the most appropriate method for the moment," he said. "By adding these new types of real-time communication into Yahoo Mail, we’re laying the foundation for an even more social experience for our users."

Kremer said the tool will be especially useful for parents wishing to communicate directly to their teenagers.

The company did not reveal the full list of mobile carriers, but said that information would be available to users once they had signed on.

The new web mail will also provide improved compatibility to its existing instant messaging service, making it compatible with Window Live Messenger as well as Yahoo Messenger.

The company said the new features are the most significant changes to their web mail service since it launched in 1997.

The move comes as Yahoo Mail faces stiff competition not only from traditional rivals such as Microsoft's Hotmail and Google's gmail, but also social networking websites such as MySpace and Facebook.

The company said existing users will be prompted to upgrade their service, but those comfortable with the current mail service can retain it.