Globaltel Media, a mobile application company, on Monday unveiled its plan to market a PC widget that connects PC and cell phone users via a text-based chat connection between the two.

The San Diego, California, company touts the technology as “the long-awaited killer app” that connects 1.5 billion PC users and 3.2 billion mobile phone users with mobile messaging.

“There will be some latent demand for a service like this, but there will also be a lot of competition eventually from people like Skype and Microsoft because they are building more mobile communications into their chat apps,” said Jonathan Weitz, principal at IBB Consulting.

There are currently a number of ways to send and receive mobile text messages via PCs, but many are clumsy or require expensive data plans, according to Robert Sanchez, CEO of Globaltel

Four-year-old Globaltel’s patented technology uses SMS as its communications medium rather than an Internet connection, so the technology is compatible with a high percentage of mobile phones.

But there are drawbacks, however.

“I think SMS is an innovative way to achieve this kind of interoperability, but it limits some of the chat capabilities that users have come to expect from IM applications, like knowing when someone is typing,” said Mr. Weitz. (Virgin Mobile Buzzd on Nightlife)

Globaltel is targeting two large communities of users. The first is users who wish to talk to friends, family, and business associates in other countries but want to avoid high international phone rates.

The second group is older folks who are more comfortable with PCs and full-size keyboards than they are with the tiny keyboard on mobile phones.

Globaltel will offer its PC widget for free and will generate revenue from advertising. The advertising will be opt-in so users will be afforded the opportunity upfront to say no to the service.