Yahoo! has launched a new instant message service that does not require users to download separate software in a bid to catapult itself into social networking dominance.

"Too many people have been restricted from benefiting from this type of communication," Brad Garlinghouse, Yahoo's senior vice president in charge of communications told Reuters.

Yahoo has high hopes for the browser-based IM service will push it past AOL, which is currently the No. 1 instant messenger provider.

According to Garlinghouse, the browser-based IM service also opens the door for Yahoo to compete with the likes of MySpace and Facebook for a piece of the social networking pie.

In February, Yahoo launched IM integrated into its email service.